


Devil's Advocate

by thesuburbanbourbon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Smut, Spice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:08:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29392455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesuburbanbourbon/pseuds/thesuburbanbourbon
Summary: “They fed her sugar, only for it to be salt.”Katie Ostara and Draco Malfoy are forced to grow up at the turn of the century.Somewhat of enemies-to-lovers fanfic with adaptations from the book. Takes place from Half-Blood Prince to post-war.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Original Character(s), Draco Malfoy & Original Female Character(s)





	1. Chapter 1

_Katie looked across the room and her eyes landed on the middle of the common room filled with people dancing. Although the whole room was dark and filled with dim green lights, she still saw the blond-haired boy in the sea of people. She stood up and walked over to talk to him. To tell him that she’s sorry and she wants to stop the fighting because she misses him. That whatever was going on between them will be in the past. But as she was on the coast of the sea of people, her whole body froze and her feet felt glued to the wooden floor. ___

__

___One Week Before ____ _

___ _

___Katie, Draco, Pansy, and Blaise were sitting on the floor in the middle of the dorm room, eyes red and puffy with their eyelids hooded._ _ _

___ _

___Draco was sitting at the front of his bed, leaning his head against the footboard with Katie’s head leaning on his shoulder. She was half awake and her head was slowly falling off, but he gingerly nudged her back onto his shoulder._ _ _

___ _

___Blaise was the first to speak after a few minutes of silence._ _ _

___ _

___“Damn. I’m crossed.”_ _ _

___ _

___Pansy scoffed “Yeah, you’re welcome. But you guys aren’t getting shit this good anymore. Montague had to stop selling because his parents found out.” her words slurred while she was looking up at the ceiling. Draco and Blaise let out a breathy laugh and shook their heads. Katie fully sat up and looked at Pansy._ _ _

___ _

___“Well, thanks, Pansy. I think we all needed this. This week I was getting so stressed with non-verbal spells.”_ _ _

___ _

___Pansy smiled and crawled over to Katie to hug her. “I don’t think we couldn’t have done it without the firewhiskey you brought either.” Everyone hummed in agreement._ _ _

___ _

___“Where’d you even manage to get a full bottle? I have to pay the guy in Hog’s Head eight galleons for half a bottle if I’m lucky.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Oh, well George got it for me.” Draco’s head shot up and looked at Katie, who was mindlessly brushing her fingers through Pansy’s hair._ _ _

___ _

___“Weasley?” Blaise interrogated through his mumbling._ _ _

___ _

___“Mhm.”_ _ _

___ _

___Draco was trying to keep himself calm- he couldn’t ruin the moment. He was always self-conscious about Katie and George’s friendship.Everyone assures him that they’re just childhood friends._ _ _

___ _

___Although the Weasleys and Ostaras stopped being affiliated with each other a few years after the first Wizarding War, Weasleys children still managed to save Katie from her lonely summer nights in the mansion and take her along to fly around on their brooms._ _ _

___ _

___Before Draco and Katie started dating in their fifth year, he knew about the puppy crush she had on George during her second and third year, thanks to Pansy. Although Katie reassured him that she only has feelings for him, Draco can’t help but feel jealous._ _ _

___ _

___“Hey man, don’t worry. We all know that Rosman is trying to get with him.” Blaise teased, “Actually- no. It might be Fred. Or is it Ron? Bloody hell, I can’t keep up with all these Weasleys.” The two boys laughed while Katie smiled slightly._ _ _

___ _

___Jenni Rosman wasn’t exactly her favorite person. They, along with Pansy, were best friends from their first year up until their fifth year. Some rumors were spread around that Rosman and Draco shagged in the broom closet. Rosman tried to spread it throughout the whole school, much to Katie’s dismay._ _ _

___ _

___Katie hasn’t told anyone other than Pansy about her growing feelings for Draco at the time; her face burned up whenever the rumor was brought up. But he always told her it wasn’t real._ _ _

___ _

___She was pulled out of her thoughts when Pansy stood up and leaned on the bedpost. “Well, I’m going to bed now. It’s nearly four in the morning and I have Transfiguration tomorrow.” She was dragging her feet, heading towards the door. “Katie, you staying here?”_ _ _

___ _

___“Yeah, I’m too tired to go up and down those stairs. Goodnight.”_ _ _

___ _

___There was a faint “goodnight” from Pansy as she was walking out of the room. Draco and Katie’s trance was broken when two thuds slightly shook the room. Blaise took off his shoes from his bed and laid under the covers._ _ _

___ _

___“Goodnight guys- don’t do anything while I’m asleep. Please.”_ _ _

___ _

___Draco laughed, “Can’t promise anything.” Katie laughed as Blaise muttered curses under his breath and threw the blanket over his head._ _ _

___ _

___The two stayed on the floor, mumbling to each other about their week while the effects of the weed and alcohol were slowly wearing away. Draco shifted and Katie lifted her head from his shoulder to give him more space._ _ _

___ _

___“I forgot to give you this earlier, but I haven’t found the time to show you.” He stood up and went to his dresser._ _ _

___ _

___He pulled out a black box that had the Malfoy Family Crest in the middle. “I told my mum I wanted to buy you something but didn’t know where to start. She told me to give you this.” He opened the box and revealed a dainty white gold chain, “She said that it was hers during Hogwarts and wanted you to have it now.”_ _ _

___ _

___Katie stood dumbfounded in front of the glimmering chain, “I couldn’t possibly have this Draco, it’s a family heirloom.”_ _ _

___ _

___Draco shook his head, “No, we think it’s perfect for you. And besides, you’re like the daughter my parents never had. Even my dad gets excited whenever you’re coming over for the holidays.”_ _ _

___ _

___It was true. Lucius was cautious and closed off when first meeting Katie. But he grew fonder of her when she introduced Draco to classic rock rather than his “youth-rap nonsense.”_ _ _

___ _

___Her fingers traced along the necklace, feeling the small ridges of the tiny chains connecting. A smile crept upon her lips and she went to hug him. “Thank you so much, I love it. Can you put it on?”_ _ _

___ _

___She turned to have her back face him while he took out the necklace and pushed her hair over her shoulder. Shivers were sent down her spine as she felt the ice-cold chain while Draco’s cold hands graced around and stopped at the nape of her neck._ _ _

___ _

___Draco’s hands lingered on her shoulders. His fingers brushed from shoulder blades and stopped at the straps of her tank top._ _ _

___ _

___Heat rose to Katie’s face as she felt his stare bore into her. She turned around to face him and her eyes darted from his eyes to his lips._ _ _

___ _

___Draco muttered something to her, his large hands caressing her face. She brought one hand to rest upon his chest and the other to entwine her fingers in his hair._ _ _

___ _

___Katie and Draco were so immersed in their own emotions that they were completely deaf to Blaise’s groans and complaints coming from across the room._ _ _

___ _

___“Hey!” The final shout made them jump out of their trance and look across the room, “I haven’t even fallen asleep and I look up to you guys snogging. That’s it, the curtains are going down.”_ _ _

___ _

___Blaise got up and aggressively untied the curtains that were tied on the four bedposts. He grabbed them and made sure all three sides were covered before grunting, “Goodnight.”_ _ _

___ _

___Draco looked away and rolled his eyes and grumbled. Katie giggled while she crawled into his bed. Draco laid next to her and pulled her closer, having her head nestled against his chest. Their jealousy flame, along with their high, was long gone, and sleep caught up to them while the sky was orange along the horizon._ _ _

___ _

___Katie was walking out of her Herbology class. A certain redhead was waiting right outside the door with a grin plastered on his face. Katie gave him a quizzical look before walking up to him._ _ _

___ _

___“Aren’t you supposed to be in Transfiguration right now?”_ _ _

___ _

___“Yeah, well I’ve decided that walking with you is much better than turning toads into pots.” George slung his arm around her while they were walking down the hallway. “Oh yeah, how was the firewhiskey?”_ _ _

___ _

___Before she could respond there was a shout from the end of the corridor._ _ _

___ _

___“Weasley!” Katie stopped while George let out a huff of annoyance. He held up his hands and turned around._ _ _

___ _

___“I’m not doing anything, ferret boy. Keep calm.” Katie rolled her eyes before grabbing Draco’s arm and walking away and saying goodbye to George._ _ _

___ _

___“What are you doing hanging out with that Weasley boy,” Draco muttered, only loud enough for Katie to hear. “Having his arm around you and everything.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Draco, come on he’s one of my best friends.” She assured him while they walked into the classroom and sat on their seats, “Just like how Blaise is one of my best friends.”_ _ _

___ _

___Draco scoffed, “No, Katie. Blaise is like a brother to you while George is a best friend. There’s a difference. A huge differe-”_ _ _

___ _

___“You’re letting jealousy get the best of you.” They were silent for a few seconds while unpacking their parchment and quill._ _ _

___ _

___“What if your parents find out that you still talk to him?” He looked at her while she was sitting down, staring straight ahead._ _ _

___ _

___The Ostaras were known to be devoted workers for the Dark Lord, with Katie’s dad being one of his right-hand men. They befriended the Weasleys after the first war, but their views on the Dark Lord were tearing their friendship apart, which eventually ended by the time Katie was eight._ _ _

___ _

___Although the Ostaras had very little respect left for the Weasleys, Molly still welcomed Katie into warm arms during the holidays. She would lie to her parents, saying that she’s staying over at the Parkinsons for a few days._ _ _

___ _

___But ever since Voldemort’s return being publicized, Katie’s parents were very strict on who she hangs out with. It was a strict pureblood and Slytherin-only rule, where if she were found with anyone else she’d have to be sent to Beauxbatons in a heartbeat._ _ _

___ _

___“Well, I trust you enough to know that you wouldn’t want to ruin my happiness or to have me transferred.” She kept a straight face and didn’t look or talk to Draco for the rest of class, deciding that it wasn’t worth fighting about the same reasons they did for the past few months._ _ _

___ _

___Once class ended, she immediately cleaned up, packed, and left. She didn’t mind the fact that Draco was calling her, probably to apologize._ _ _

___ _

___They were inevitably going to have a conversation on the same topic the next day- why bother wasting time with the meaningless apology?_ _ _

___ _

___By dinnertime, both Katie and Draco had calmed down. They were sitting next to each other in the dining hall across from Pansy and Blaise._ _ _

___ _

___“There’s a party to celebrate midterms in the common room on Saturday night. Are you guys going?” Blaise asked with his mouth full._ _ _

___ _

___Katie scowled, “First of all, please eat with your mouth closed or else I’m going to kill you. And of course, we’re going.” Pansy hummed in agreement._ _ _

___ _

___“You better save all that aggression, Ostara,” Blaise said while he was chewing his mashed potatoes, “Rosman is coming up. Today’s been terribly boring, and I’m hoping for some sort of catfight.” Pansy nudged him with his elbow to stop talking, and he nearly choked._ _ _

___ _

___The girls’ laughter was cut off when they saw Rosman slither up to them with an innocent look on her face, “Can someone help me study for the Charms quiz tomorrow?” She asked for anyone but was specifically looking at Draco, who just so happened to be in the same class as her._ _ _

___ _

___Katie’s eyes darted from the two and the flame was slowly growing in her stomach. Before he could respond, Pansy stood up._ _ _

___ _

___“I can. I already took it and can give you the answers to some of the questions.” Rosman scowled._ _ _

___ _

___“Fine.” Katie had a small smile on her face, silently thanking Pansy as they were heading to the library._ _ _

___ _

___She stopped eating and was immersed in her own thoughts as Draco proceeded to finish his meal._ _ _

___ _

___The next day, she was too busy to think about the thoughts itching her head. Every class had an exam and by the end of the day, she just wanted to go to Draco’s dorm and take a much-needed nap._ _ _

___ _

___She was walking towards the common room, the bed in his dormitory calling for her. But someone was calling her from behind. Katie turned around and saw red hair in the dark hallway. He was telling her something, but she couldn’t hear._ _ _

___ _

___As George got closer his words became clearer, “Me and Fred are going up to the Astronomy tower. Do you want to come? I know you had a long day.”_ _ _

___ _

___She smiled, “Thanks George, but all I want to do right now is just sleep.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Yeah, for sure. But if you change your mind, you’ll know where we are.” He smirked at her before looking over at the entrance to the common room that just opened._ _ _

___ _

___“What are you doing here? This is the Slytherin area.” Draco looked to his right and saw Katie._ _ _

___ _

___“Don’t mind me, I was just talking to a friend.” George walked away before Draco could muster another comeback._ _ _

___ _

___He looked over at Katie and took her hand to lead her up to his room. Katie could feel the anger coursing through his veins. She didn’t have the energy for the conversation they were going to have in a few seconds._ _ _

___ _

___They walked in and Katie stood in the middle of the room while Draco closed the door, his back facing her._ _ _

___ _

___“Draco, can we please not argue about this right now I’m too tired for this shit.” Her fingers massaged her temples._ _ _

___ _

___“No. Why can’t you see that I hate it when you guys talk?” His back was still facing her but his head was turned to the side._ _ _

___ _

___“I can see it, but you also need to see that I only have feelings towards you. That’s all you need to think about.” she pleaded._ _ _

___ _

___“Yes, Katie I know you do and so do I. But I just can’t-”_ _ _

___ _

___“Oh, Merlin, don't say that you can’t trust him. I’ve heard that almost a thousand times and I’m getting tired of it. Why can’t you see that he’s respectful enough to not try anything with me? I thought you’d know that I stay away from people like that. It’s like- you get jealous over anyone who gives me attention, even if their intentions are good.” Draco turned around and took a few steps towards her._ _ _

___ _

___“Don’t act like you’re all wise. Whenever Rosman talks to me you immediately get jealous. Whenever you just see her you get jealous.” Katie was silent. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I can feel the tension radiating off of you whenever she’s around.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Because it’s obvious that she wants to get with you! Sure, George flirts now and then but Rosman practically throws herself at you!”_ _ _

___ _

___“So you admit it, Weasley flirts with you.”_ _ _

___ _

___“For Merlin’s sake here we go again! It’s all platonic, Draco.” her voice was becoming strained. “You just don’t understand. Rosman and George have completely different intentions. She does it to get a chance with you in bed while George does it for fun.” her voice was dripping with frustration at this point._ _ _

___ _

___“Yeah, I don’t understand. I don’t understand how you can be friends with someone you liked for two years.” They were both taken aback at what he just said, and he felt guilty for saying the last sentence. He knows that she loves him, but his insecurities got the best of him at that moment._ _ _

___ _

___Katie’s voice grew softer than the moment before, “How did you know about that?”_ _ _

___ _

___“Doesn’t matter.” his voice was sharp and cold._ _ _

___ _

___“No, it doesn’t. It was just a puppy crush.” She muttered, “How long did you know?”_ _ _

___ _

___They stayed silent. “Is there anything else I don’t know about you?” She looked up at him with pleading eyes, only to have him looking at the carpet. Standing up, she reluctantly went up to him._ _ _

___ _

___“Draco, I don’t know why you can’t see how much I love you. I love you so much to the point where it’s annoying because sometimes you’re all I’m thinking about. But apparently, it isn’t good enough to keep you satisfied.” She waited for a response._ _ _

___ _

___She wanted him to tell her that she is good enough, but the reassurance she desperately needed wasn’t coming out of his mouth. After a few moments, she took the silence as the answer. She sprinted out towards the door, leaving Draco standing in the middle of the room, emotionless._ _ _

___ _

___Katie stormed into her dorm and laid down in her bed with defeat. She closed her eyes and replayed the whole scene in her head. Tears started to pour and she felt the bed dip next to her. Pansy pulled her trembling body in and hugged her until she fell asleep. She knew that Katie needed rest. That asking her what happened will just make it worse._ _ _

___ _

___By the time she woke up, it was already dark. She sat up and the room was empty, but there was a tray of food with a note._ _ _

___ _

____“Had one of the elves bring up food for you. I’ll be back soon. Just talking to Blaise. ____ _ _

___ _

____-Pansy” ____ _ _

___ _

___She didn’t feel like eating at all, but she knew that Pansy would force bread down her throat if she saw a full plate of food. She settled on a few slices of the lamb and drank the pumpkin juice. The juice swirled in the goblet as she was thinking over and over about their fight._ _ _

___ _

___Pansy quietly entered the room and sat next to her. Katie leaned her head on her shoulder as Pansy held her hand. She let Katie speak first, afraid that if she asked her anything she would start crying again._ _ _

___ _

___“Draco and I fought.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Blaise told me. He’s not in any good shape either.”_ _ _

___ _

___“I should talk to him.” She was about to stand up but Pansy dragged her back down._ _ _

___ _

___“I don’t think that’s a really good idea at the moment… Talk to him tomorrow when you guys both cooled off.” Although Katie didn’t want to, she knew that Pansy was right._ _ _

___ _

___“Is he okay?”_ _ _

___ _

___“He probably punched a wall, but every teen boy does that, so I’d say he’s fine.” They both laughed, “But just know that you’re everything he’s ever wanted… It might not seem like it, but Blaise and I do. You guys will get through it.” She smiled down at her and Katie hugged her._ _ _

___ _

___“Thank you. I’m going to get ready to sleep now. I have to talk to Draco and get ready for the party.”_ _ _

___ _

___Katie woke up, quickly dressed, and went out to find Draco. She looked everywhere, but she couldn’t find him. As she was knocking on his door, she was only met with a groggy Blaise with his pajamas still on. Pansy assured her that she’ll find him later today, possibly during the party._ _ _

___ _

___Trying not to think about it too much, Katie got ready with Pansy in their dorm._ _ _

___ _

___They finished their hair and makeup and were heading out into the party. The lights were dimly lit with green lights and the bass was shaking the whole floor. Holding her hand, Pansy led them towards one of the couches while Katie was able to get a bottle of firewhiskey on the way._ _ _

___ _

___Graham Montague came up to them and started talking to Katie about the new quidditch season coming up. Their conversation almost bored Pansy to death until she saw a flash of blond in the group of people dancing. She sat up and nudged Katie. She gave her a look and Katie instantly knew what she meant and looked in Pansy’s direction._ _ _

___ _

___Katie looked across the room and her eyes landed on the middle of the common room filled with people dancing. Although the whole room was dark and filled with dim green lights, she still saw the blond-haired boy in the sea of people. She stood up and walked over to talk to him. To tell him that she’s sorry and she wants to stop the fighting because she misses him. That whatever was going on between them will be in the past. But as she was on the coast of the sea of people, her whole body froze and her feet felt glued to the wooden floor._ _ _

___ _

___Draco was swaying his hips with Jenni Rosman’s back pressed up against him. His hands were roaming all over her body and his hooded eyes were looking down on her. Katie was left standing there until Pansy took her away._ _ _


	2. Chapter 2

Katie couldn't see straight as Pansy was walking her to the back of the party, away from the crowd. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she was muttering to herself. She was asking herself what just happened, where to go next, what to do.

"Do you want to go back up to your room?" Pansy asked for probably the fifth time by now. She was looking like a concerned mom whose child came back crying.

But Katie was still in shock at the moment. A few minutes later, she left Pansy and went back out into the crowd. She weaved through the crowd and beelined to the common room's exit. As the doorway was calling for her, she felt cold hands wrap around her wrist.

Turning around, she was met with Draco's hopeful gaze at her. His mouth worded 'where've you been?' but his words couldn't be heard through the music blasting around the room. She aggressively yanked her wrist free and exited the common room, the sound of the music being muffled.

The door opened right after, and she can hear the boy's footsteps get louder as he approaches her.

"What was that for?"

Katie smoldered with indignation as she turned around, "You're fucking kidding me, right? You grind up on the girl that always made me doubt and you pretend as though nothing happened?!" Draco was taken aback, his slightly dilated and hooded eyes looking down at her.

"What?" he softly questioned. He was trying to process everything that happened that day, from when he woke up until now.

The boy had to be high to cope with the events that happened the night before. His thoughts needed to be silenced for once. But he knew that Katie would go looking for him, and he couldn't face her while he was a mess. He went to the Hogs Head for the day since the guy working there gave underage wizards drinks if they pay extra. In the afternoon, he headed back to his dorm. As he was stumbling around the dormitory hallway, a blond girl came out. She took him to his room.

"Poor boy," she cooed, "Here, have some of this." He was laying on the bed while she sat next to him, rolling up two joints: one for him, one for her. She gave him one and he gladly took it. He questioned the pink rolling paper but proceeded to put it between his lips. She lit both of them and they were quiet for a while. "Are you going to tell me what's going on with you or are you just going to steal weed from me?" She glanced down at him as he was laying down on the bed.

"Relationship stuff."

"Ah, and once again it'll be my fault like always?"

"Shut it, Rosman," he quietly snapped, "You wouldn't understand considering you play around with a guy and throw them away after about a week,"

She put her hand over her heart and tried to act offended, "I'm sorry that I like to have options."

"Yeah, well you better enjoy it while it lasts because you're running out of options," he mumbled.

His eyes were closed enjoying the high, and she looked down at him, grinning.

"Come on, let's go to the party." she pulled him up and dragged him down to the common room, the bass of the music shaking his chest.

Everything was quite literally a blur, with the dim lights affecting his vision and his mind fogged up from the high. But he tried to remember that he needed to sober up to find Katie.

"Do you even want to be with me? If you didn't it would've been much better to break up with me before you decided to dry hump her!" she exclaimed.

"Wha- of course, I want to be with you! It's just that- bloody hell- I don't even know what happened the past 24 hours," he was rubbing his temples while trying to find the right words to say, "It's just that I couldn't take it anymore and I needed a smoke."

She let out a frustrated breath, "Draco, you can't keep going to drugs as an outlet. Not only does it affect you, but it also affects me and your friends. Do you even remember anything that happened this summer?" he was silent, "Of course you don't. I'm right here, and I need words if we're going to stay together."

_"If?" _he thought.__

__

__"It's frustrating to see you struggle and it's even more discouraging when you don't even let me in. It's as though you don't even want me." her voice faltered in the last sentence. He should've said something, but his mind was still processing the 'if'... She's going to break up with him. He could feel it._ _

__

__"Just break up with me already," he mumbled._ _

__

__Katie was shocked at what he said. It was definitely not what she wanted to hear. "You're not even going to fight for this? Just going to throw nearly a year away?" her eyes were throwing daggers at him, "Was any of this even worth it?" Draco stayed quiet and his face was stone cold._ _

__

__After a few seconds, she let out an exasperated sigh and stormed off down the hallway. She couldn't go back to her dorm- not when everyone is there. Her thoughts were loud and she couldn't think straight. Deciding that fresh air was good, she headed over to the Black Lake._ _

__

__She lied to herself. Fresh air wasn't what she needed, but rather a few violent kicks to a nearby bush. The poor bush was shaken and its leaves and tiny branches were flying around as she was shouting curses. Katie regained her emotions and stopped. Her breathing was labored as she looked at the mangled bush._ _

__

__"Someone's not having a great night." She immediately turned around and glared at whoever decided to approach her._ _

__

__George sarcastically held his hands up in defense, "Sorry, just trying to make light in this situation."_ _

__

__"I really don't feel like talking at the moment." Katie shot back as she was taking out leaves and twigs from the inside of her boots._ _

__

__"That's fine, I had different plans, anyway," he held up his notorious wooden case, "You can have some if you want...Actually, take some. You need it." He glanced at her before sitting down in front of the lake._ _

__

__After a few minutes of standing and contemplating, Katie headed over to sit next to him. She watched him grind up the weed and equally lay them in two brown papers._ _

__

__"This is the good shit. You'll know because it smells more like sage than skunk piss." He stated. But Katie didn't hear a word he said. All she wanted at the moment was to relax. George handed her one and lit it as it hung between her lips._ _

__

__They stayed silent for a few moments, letting the smoke fill their lungs and exit out, taking in the sounds of the water rippling and the distant footsteps of the centaurs as they peek out through the forest. George sensed that Katie had fully calmed down now, and decided to speak up._ _

__

__"So... you want to talk about it?" he hesitantly asked._ _

__

__Katie side-eyed him before leaning back on her elbows, "Well... Draco and I were having problems, and-"_ _

__

__"As if you guys never have problems," he grunted out._ _

__

__" _And _I tried to find him everywhere, only to see him grinding up on Jenni Rosman in the party," she stated with embarrassment laced in her voice.___ _

___ _

___George stayed silent, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. After a few more moments, Katie had started to go on a full out vent, explaining how he seemed more closed-off than ever to their last conversation, giving every last detail._ _ _

___ _

___"While I understand you just got cheated on, I don't understand why you didn't take the opportunity to have fun and forget about it for a night rather than go here to steal a man's stash." To George, being at the party seemed like the practical thing to do._ _ _

___ _

___"But I'm sure I would still see him doing God knows what if I were to stay at the party," she explained, "And, well, I'd rather be smoking a joint than get cheated on."_ _ _

___ _

___"Actually, it's a blunt." He smirked up at her while she scoffed, "There's a real difference though! It's a cigar roll filled with-"_ _ _

___ _

___"Please stop. I cannot take any more information tonight." they both laughed as their eyes drooped._ _ _

___ _

___"But come on Katie, it's good that you two have broken up. The two of you had fought almost every week about anything and everything. At first, Fred and I thought it was foreplay but as the months went on it was just irritating for everyone." Katie snickered at his comment._ _ _

___ _

___"It was half foreplay, half actual fights if I'm remembering correctly," she joked along._ _ _

___ _

___A comfortable silence fell upon the two as meaningless thoughts intruded their mind. It was exactly what Katie needed after getting worked up so much. The heartbreak can wait until tomorrow because her mind knew that she needed a break. She laid down and took in her surroundings as the chain necklace was freezing against her neck._ _ _

___ _

___Meanwhile, Draco was slouching on the couch as Pansy was yelling at him. It didn't matter though. The music was too loud for him to even hear what she was saying. 'Just get it out of your system, Pansy' he thought to himself. The back of his throat burned as he swallowed shot after shot while his body was slowly relaxing._ _ _


	3. Chapter 3

TW: mentions drug and alcohol abuse, addiction

He was a stupid mess, and it was only a matter of time until she realized that he didn’t deserve her. Draco cared about Katie deeply. So much to the point where she was the only good thing going on in his life. There was so much he wanted to tell her but at the same time, he didn’t want to scare her away. Katie was a strong person, but if she found out more about him, he wouldn’t know how she would take it. But it didn’t matter, because both would end up with her leaving.

By now he’s had about all the drinks on the coffee table, much to Pansy’s dismay. But no amount of shots will help muffle his thoughts. No matter how hot and relaxed his body was, his mind was still running 100 miles per hour. Draco’s vision was blurry as he looked around the table for a pre-rolled joint Goyle left a few minutes ago. His hand was reaching out for it, but Pansy slapped it away.

“No! You’ve had enough, Draco. There’s no way you’re smoking anything tonight after the number of drinks you’ve had.” she demanded.

He mumbled a retort as he laid back down and closed his eyes. Blaise shook him and pulled him up to bring him back to his dorm.

“Come on, you can’t stay here like this,” he was walking through the hallway leaning on him. The room was spinning and he desperately tried to keep his balance. They walked into the dorm and Blaise led him to the bathroom, “Take a shower and go to sleep. You’re going to feel like shit tomorrow.”

Draco didn’t listen to a word he said, but rather sit on the tile with his back against the floor. His mind was still running and he didn’t know how to stop it. Memories of them came up and raced over his head.

//

He was sitting in the hospital bed, groaning in pain. His left arm was scratched up from that chicken and he wanted everyone to know. The large doors of the Hospital Wing opened and Draco immediately knew who it was by the sound of their footsteps. His groaning became more dramatic until he saw her face as she sat down.

“You’re a bloody idiot, Malfoy!” he stayed silent, “You just embarrassed yourself. Acting like you’re all though in front of everyone. I got embarrassed and I didn’t even do anything!”

She went on and on about how spoiled he is and he needs to grow up, scolding him like a mother. Draco wouldn’t let anyone talk to him like that, but she was the only exception. She would out him on something and he would learn from it.

“I’m sorry, Katie,” he mumbled out. The blond boy couldn’t look into her eyes as he apologized, most likely out of shame, “I just couldn’t stand Potter getting so much praise for nothing.”

She rolled her eyes and continued to nag at him. But he couldn’t concentrate on anything but admire the wrinkle on her forehead as she talked. It always came out whenever she was mad or stressed. It slowly became an insecurity as she got older but he loved it. He thought it gave her character.

//

Draco thought about the wrinkle, and how it will come upon her forehead whenever he was near after what happened today. It will remind him of the pain and anger he had caused her, and how much of a fuck-up he is.

//

After three long hours of talking and staring at the maze, the crowd cheered as they saw the last two champions appear in front of the maze’s entrance. Draco’s heart stopped as he stood up and saw the Hufflepuff’s pale face and blank stare. Nobody seemed to notice as they cheered on.

But then a girl’s scream pierced everyone’s ears. He felt Katie’s hand grip his own and he squeezed it back. He knew that her heart broke as she heard Cedric’s father scream in pain. Draco couldn’t bear to look at her or else it’d feel like his world would fall apart. Instead, she covered her face against his shoulder and he stroked her hair with his free hand.

//

His heart wrenched at the thought of someone else comforting her. He slowly stood up and trudged towards the shower and turned it on. The white noise of the water didn’t help clear his thoughts but made them louder.

//

His bed sheets were the only thing covering their sweaty bodies as she curled up against him. Pillowtalk was their favorite pastime, and Katie plucked up the courage to ask him the question that’s been eating at her.

“Did you and Jenni ever have a thing?” she looked up at him.

“No,” he said coolly, “She only started it to get other guys’ attention.”

She hummed in response and smiled to herself as she leaned against his bare chest.

//

A pang of guilt washed over him as he thought about the candid conversation they had not even a year ago. He started to sober up as he felt the hot water hit his back. His thoughts raced over their time together multiple times.

__

_Fuck, I miss her_

_Katie, Katie, Katie…_

_She didn't even seem hurt…_

_Was she really that tired of me?_

__

__After washing away a small increment of the shame he felt, Draco got out and wrapped a towel around his waist. As he leaned in front of the sink and looked up. He did not like the stranger he saw in front of him._ _

__

__What happened to him? Where was the boy he knew before summertime rolled around? He couldn’t even remember the last time he didn’t need to be high in order to live._ _

__

__He didn’t plan on anything like this to happen. He hated that his body couldn’t function without drugs. Draco wants to stop, but it’ll be detrimental to his health as if it’s not at an all-time low already._ _

__

__A day hasn’t gone by where he didn’t have a good night’s sleep. If he were able to close his eyes the nightmares came. The only thing grounding him at night was pacing his breathing with Katie’s. She had helped him so much just by being there…_ _

__

__He got dressed and headed to bed. Draco was sober and his thoughts were coming to a halt as he went into the bed. Maybe the shots worked after all. He turned to his side and tried to go to sleep, staring blankly at the empty jewelry case that sat on his dresser._ _

__

__Katie woke up to the sun blinding her through the window. She covered herself with her blanket as she stirred in the bed. Her heart dropped when she remembered the events of last night._ _

__

__The blank stare in his eyes made her feel so much smaller. What happened to him? He wasn’t the same person she knew just a few months ago. Now that she thought about it, his face got paler and his eyes were slowly growing dark circles._ _

__

__She knew that he had nightmares at night, and she pretended to be asleep while she felt his heart race as he tried to calm down. Yet she didn’t mention it to him because she didn’t know how he’d react._ _

__

__After his father was locked up in Azkaban, she tried her hardest to be there for him and stayed with him at the Manor. Until one day they had another careless fight about something they both couldn’t remember. Katie ignored Narcissa’s pleads to stay for dinner and headed to the Burrow._ _

__

__//_ _

__

__“I’m sorry that I’m trying to be a good girlfriend for you! Draco, I know you’re hurting. Just let me be there for you,” she pleaded._ _

__

__”You don’t know what I’m feeling, ok? Just stop trying to fix me,” Draco seethed._ _

__

__“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not fixing you. I just want you to talk to me…” her voice faltered. Draco was across the room with his hands in his pockets. He mumbled something and Katie looked at him, “Come again?”_ _

__

__“Just leave,” he mumbled. She was taken aback at his comment._ _

__

__“If you’d just talk to me things would be so much easier-”_ _

__

__“Leave,” he commanded._ _

__

__“Fine! Okay, I give up!” she took her trunk and hastily stuffed her belongings in there. He was facing the window as she walked out the door. Katie looked back at him and tried her best not to say anything. She closed the door and walked away._ _

__

__//_ _

__

__Although they made up a few days later, things weren’t the same. He became more closed off and rarely laughed at her sarcastic remarks anymore. Draco’s emotional distance hurt her, but she didn’t want to seem dramatic about it, so she stayed silent. The school year went on and there were some bright moments, but Katie knew that their relationship was coming to a close. She just wished that it didn’t end the way it did last night._ _

__

__Silent tears crept down her cheeks as she hastily wiped them away. She wanted to talk to him but she knew that would be the last thing she should do. Pansy came in with a tray of food and pumpkin juice._ _

__

__Katie was grateful for having Pansy around. No matter how many stupid decisions she made, Pansy would always be there to help her through everything. Back in their fifth year, they were both heartbroken over their fight with Jenni Rosman, but it made them closer in the end._ _

__

__“Hey, how are you holding up?” She set the tray next to her as Katie sat up on her bed to eat, “You kind of disappeared on me last night.”_ _

__

__“Yeah, sorry about that. But I just couldn’t stay there anymore,” she hummed in response. She told her everything that happened up until she went to sleep._ _

__

__“So that’s it? You guys are broken up just like that?”_ _

__

__“Well, I didn’t really want it to end like this but he told me to break up with him…” the pancakes were slowly looking less appetizing the more she talked, “He didn’t even care about our relationship anymore, Pansy.” Tears were forming in her eyes but she couldn’t bring herself to cry in front of someone._ _

__

__Pansy could tell that she wasn’t going to eat and decided to put the tray of food on her bedside table. “Well I’m sure that he still cares,” she sat next to Katie,” I mean… he is having a lot of trouble with his family, right? Maybe it’s just that.”_ _

__

__Katie let out a sigh, “His father came out of Azkaban nearly two months ago. There has to be something else going on. But he’s been pushing me away this whole time. And not to mention he’s been fighting with me over anything I do at this point.”_ _

__

__“Hear me out, Katie. Maybe it’s a good thing that you guys aren’t together anymore. I don’t know much about your relationship with him, but it’s been sounding toxic these past few months.” She stayed silent as she digested her words._ _

__

__A few moments passed and she spoke up again, “Daphne and I are going to Hogsmeade for the day. Do you want me to get anything for you?” she shook her head and Pansy took her wallet and left._ _

__

__Were they really toxic? She thought. Their insecurities got the best of them, and maybe if they just reassured each other enough, they would still be together._ _

__

__Hours passed as she tried to find out the different possibilities of what she could’ve done to make them last longer. But she concluded that there was no way they could’ve stayed together. Katie would soon learn that it was better than they weren’t together, that their time has run out. But all she could do at the moment was shed her tears as they fell onto her pillow._ _


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks passed by and it was easier for Katie to get out of bed and do her schoolwork. She laughed along with Pansy and Blaise’s jokes and kept her emotions at bay when in public. Katie had too much pride to unveil her heartache to her friends and decided to suffer in private.

Pansy and she were walking into the Transfiguration class and sat in their seats while talking about their plans for the weekend. At the last minute of the passing period, Draco coolly strolled in and sat in front of Katie and Pansy, right next to Jenni. Katie stared down at him and she already knew a smirk was plastered on his face.

Her glare was cut off by the sound of Professor McGonagall’s voice going over incantations for the class.

By dinnertime, Katie had just about enough of him. In every class they were together, he would sit next to some girl and talk them up to the point where they would be snickering at every word he said. She sat next to Pansy and tried to put her focus on the dinner candle rather than the blond boy in her peripheral vision.

She didn’t have the appetite to eat. She never did anymore. But she still attends dinner to stop Pansy’s nagging, telling her to take care of herself. Katie stared at the candle’s flame and waited for Pansy to finish her dinner while she was talking to Blaise about their Potions essay.

As they were entering the common room, Draco, Blaise, Graham, and Daphne were all sitting on the couches around the fire. Katie made eye contact with Draco for a split second and started up to her dorm. Pansy grabbed her wrist and gave her a pleading look.

“Please just hang out with us for tonight. I promise that if you do I won’t force you to go to breakfast with me tomorrow.” she looked at Pansy, to Draco, then back to Pansy’s sad attempt at puppy eyes.

She took in a deep breath and said, “Fine..” she headed over to the group of friends and tried her best to sit as far away from him as possible.

Everyone was getting settled and going into a deep conversation while Katie gave them her divided attention. Montague leaned back and pulled out a plastic bag.

“Guess what I got, guys,” he smirked as he put the weed on the tray.

“I thought your parents found out about you selling it?” Blaise questioned.

“Yeah, well my parents decided that they’ll get a cut of the money if I keep on selling it,” he casually explained. There was an awkward silence in the room as people were looking at each other.

Daphne broke the silence, shrugging her shoulders, “Well, weed is weed.” Everyone murmured in agreement as Montague started grinding it.

“Who wants to roll them?” Draco scoffed.

“Whatever you do, don’t let Katie roll them,” he remarked.

“What do you mean?” Katie calmly asked, but the venom in her voice was still seeping through.

“Well, it’s just that you do a shitty job at rolling joints. That’s why you always have me do it,” he said calmly.

“You don’t really know how well I roll joints because you’re the one who always does it!” she was slowly losing her temper and didn’t even notice her friends awkwardly watching their conversation.

“Yeah, because I already know it’s going to be horrible! Tell me one person who knows that you roll a good joint. Tell me,” she smirked.

“George.”

There was a long pause and Draco’s eyes were boring into hers. Everyone wouldn’t even dare to speak. The tension was so thick that it filled the whole common room. He angrily strode to the stairway to the boy’s dormitory.

Katie stayed standing for a few moments until she sat back down on the couch, silently smoldering as everyone was staring at her. Daphne moved beside her and muttered that she would roll them.

Pansy finally spoke to her, “Katie, don’t let it get to you. He’s just playing devil’s advocate.” She nodded and proceeded to calm down. But something in her was still burning. It was telling her to go upstairs.

A few minutes passed as she was contemplating on whether or not she should go up to his dorm. But she decided to act on a whim and stand up to march upstairs. Katie heard Pansy calling her but it was muffled out by her thoughts and pounding heart. Up the stairs, third floor, seventh door to the right. She still remembered.

Her fist pounded on the door and he opened it, his pupils dilated as he looked down on her. His stare made her feel small.

What was she going to say? She hadn’t really thought this out that much. Thinking of words to conjure up to him, she blurted out.

“I miss you.”

Draco’s stare darkened and he pulled her into his room. He closed the door and immediately shoved her against it.

She took her hands clung around his neck and pulled him into a kiss while his hands were roaming all around her body and stopped at her waist. His lips grazed down and started attacking the curve of her neck.

Katie’s hands grasped his platinum hair as she writhed under his touch.

“Fuck, Katie,” he murmured.

His hands went down to her thighs and lightly pinched them, telling her to lift her legs. He carried her to his bed and laid her down while unzipping his trousers. Heat pooled between her legs as she shed her uniform.

Draco climbed onto the bottom of the bed and pulled Katie down by her ankles, leaving him in between her legs. Her breathing was labored as he slowly took off her underwear. He smirked up at her and she looked down at his hands while they crept up her inner thigh.

Two fingers smoothly encircled around her clit and her hands clutched the sheets while she gasped. He let out a breathy laugh as he separated her folds and blew onto her clit. Draco went on to suck the inside of her thighs while she squirmed around the bed.

“Such a fucking tease,” she gasped. 

“I wouldn’t be if you’d just stay still,” he growled as his strong hands pinned her hips down as he devoured her cunt.

Katie cried out of pleasure as he lapped her folds, his moans sending vibrations throughout her body. She tried to jerk away from his mouth as his tongue swirled around her abused clit but his grip tightened around her hips, forming bruises.

“Fuck, I’m going to cum if you keep on doing that,” she urged. Draco reluctantly sat back up and slightly turned around to cast a silencing charm on the door.

Katie took the opportunity to push him down on the bed and get on top of him. He was shocked but his eyes immediately darkened and attempted to threaten her.

She smirked as she hastily pulled down the waistband of his underwear and revealed his cock. Her cunt throbbed at the sight of it, and wetness was already dripping down her thigh.

Draco’s hands guided her to his hips, and she shuddered as he lined the tip with her folds. Katie hissed and slowly went down, feeling every inch of him as he penetrated her. He bottomed out and waited for her to adjust.

The only sound filling the room were the curses under their breath. Katie started to rock against him, resting her hands on his abdomen. Her mouth formed a silent ‘o’ as she moved her body up and down.

“Come on, darling. Let it out,” he commanded. She immediately let out cries of pleasure as he gripped her hips and ground her down against him.

Draco took off his tie and hung it around her neck. He pulled on it to bring her closer to him, having her hands planted on both sides of his head. His hips were pounding up into her and Katie succumbed to his dominance. She moaned at the new angle, giving him access to her g-spot, and trembled in his arms.

He looked into her eyes and smirked as she whimpered. Draco almost lost it as he felt her clench down on him.

“Please, Draco,” she cried out. Katie was so immersed in the pleasure that she couldn’t form full sentences.

He plummeted into her as she fell onto his chest, “Come on, wet this dick,” he growled, “You’re a slut for my dick, aren’t you?” he coaxed. She could only respond in moans as she convulsed, her orgasm washing over her. Her cunt clenched around him and his strokes labored.

“Fuck, I’m going to cum,” he pushed her onto her back and he rammed into her. He moaned into her ear as she dug her fingers into his back.

“Cum for me, Draco,” she moaned. Katie nipped at the soft spot on his neck and with a few deep thrusts, he came in her. His cum seeped out of her as he pulled away. Draco savored the moment before getting a rag to clean her up.

Katie whimpered from sensitivity and went under the covers. Draco quickly changed into a hoodie and laid next to her. There was a comfortable silence as Katie nuzzled against his chest.

She immediately fell asleep in his arms and Draco stayed awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. He wanted to savor the moment as he cradled her because he knew it would be the last time Katie would be in his arms. Draco slightly tightened his embrace, thinking that she would stay if his arms caged her in.


	5. Chapter 5

Katie was walking along with Pansy to the Quidditch pitch. She had already missed a week’s worth of practice and Montague threatened her that she’d be kicked off the team if she didn’t make Saturday’s practice. Pansy was talking her ear off about last night’s events.

“I can’t believe you, Katie. Like… what the fuck was going through your mind?!” she tried her best to ignore her but she kept on talking, “There are so many consequences to this. He probably thinks that you want to get back together! You just sent him mixed signals.”

Katie rolled her eyes, “Pansy, calm down. You’re being overdramatic. I’m sure Malfoy knew that it was nothing but breakup sex.”

“What was nothing but breakup sex?” George butted into their conversations and walked next to Katie.

“First of all, don’t sneak up like that. And second of all, Katie had breakup sex with Draco last night,” Pansy remarked.

George’s eyebrows raised, “Well, I was walking up to you guys but I guess you two were too invested in your conversation of Katie’s breakup sex.” Pansy rolled her eyes and proceeded to lecture Katie.

“Pansy please stop before I strangle you. I assure you that nothing else will happen between us. I’m fine being single and I’m sure that he’s fine too. We just had to get it out of our system.” she said coolly. Pansy huffed as George stayed silent and pooled in his thoughts.

“Ok, well you’re going to see him at practice. Make sure you don’t shag him in the locker room,” she huffed and headed back into the castle.

George and Katie were walking down the hill as she was ranting to him, “... and I love her and everything, but she can be so dramatic at times. She becomes a mama bear as soon as I do something out of my comfort zone.”

“Well, that’s probably just how she is,” he muttered. Katie hummed in agreement and looked up at him. She noticed the look on his face and knew the hint of jealousy in his eyes. Katie stopped in her tracks and he looked into her eyes.

“I promise that it didn’t mean anything, George. You don’t have to worry about me going back with him and all the fights,” she reassured him. He smiled and nodded his head. “I’ll see you later,” she opened the doors to the girl’s locker room.

George waited for the door to close before turning around to head back to the courtyard. He looked around and noticed Draco’s glare on him before he entered the boy’s locker room.

Katie swiftly changed into her Quidditch gear and headed out onto the field with her broom. About half of the team was already on their brooms as they welcomed her back.

As she flew up on her broom she saw Draco exit the locker room. His eyes were dark and his posture looked exhausted. Her mind went back to the events that occurred early in the morning

__________

Katie woke up and felt Draco’s arms tangled around her. She moved in small increments, trying her best not to wake him up as she left. Looking around the room for her clothes, she put on her everything except for her white oxford. She frantically looked around for it but failed to find it. Katie had to compromise with one of his pajama shirts and headed towards the door.

She stopped in near his dresser as the jewelry case caught her eye. Draco was stirring in his bed and turned on his stomach, his breathing getting heavier. Katie hesitated for a moment before taking off the chain necklace and carefully placed it on the case.

Katie quietly exited the dorm and went down the stairs. She was thankful that the sun wasn’t up, for people weren’t awake to see her do the walk of shame. The door to her room was unlocked and she made her way to her bed. After putting on comfortable pajamas, she headed to her bed.

But as she turned around Pansy was wide awake, sitting up on her bed, giving Katie a pointed look. “I’m disappointed in you Katie. But we’ll talk about it later today.” Katie huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Don’t scare me like that. First, you’re sleeping next thing I know you’re staring into my soul,” she muttered under her breath.

__________

She has pulled away from her thoughts as Montague was explaining their routine for the day’s practice and what they need to work on for the Quidditch game in a few days. Katie was so distracted during practice and she’d drop the ball multiple times.

“Come on, Ostara the game is on Wednesday!” Montague shouted from his broom.

Malfoy sniggered, “Shouldn’t have spent your time hanging with George all week. I know that Goyle is just waiting for you to get kicked off the team,” Katie nearly missed her shot at the goal post as he was talking to her, “Seems like it won’t be long until we have a new Chaser.” he flew away and her muscles tensed.

The next hour went on like so, and Katie tried her best to give all her effort. The Gryffindor quidditch team was waiting for them to finish as Montague was talking to them. He dismissed them and they were all heading to the locker rooms.

George quickly flew over to Katie across the floor and she stopped, “Katie! After practice do you want to meet me at the Black Lake?”

“Sure,” he nodded and flew away, smiling to himself. Katie went into the locker room and put on her sweats. She had about an hour to kill and decided to take a long shower to clean herself up.

The long journey up to her dorm room almost made her give up and head to bed, but she headed straight towards the bathroom and turned on the hot water. She stood under the water, letting her worries and thoughts stream down the drain. Katie massaged her scalp with shampoo and scrubbed away the remnants of guilt that seeped into her pores.

She got out of the shower feeling fresh and anew. Her hair was left to air dry, letting the waves run freely and frizz up. Katie threw on some clothes and headed down to the Black Lake. She was going to be early, but she had nothing to lose.

Katie was sitting in front of the lake and counted how many times she saw a glimpse of the giant squid. The sound of the forest’s leaves rustling and the lapping of water brought in serenity and forced her thoughts to keep at bay.

Footsteps were becoming louder and she turned around to see George. There was a slight smile on his face as he looked at her. As he sat down next to her he pulled out a small pouch from his back pocket. He pulled out two sandwiches; one for him, one for her.

“How did that even fit in there?” she was amazed as he handed her the sandwich.

“An extension charm, thanks to Hermione,” he unwrapped his sandwich, “I don’t know how I lived before this,” she hummed in response and continued to look at the lake. George looked at the unopened wrapper and nudged her, “Eat the sandwich, I know you’ve barely eaten these past few weeks,” Katie was about to protest until he gave her a pointed look. She huffed and started taking bites off of her sandwich.

There was a comfortable silence between them as they ate. As she finished, Katie turned her head to look at him, “So… why’d you want to meet me here?”

He stayed silent for a second, thinking of what to say, “I just missed you. That’s all.” Her eyebrows raised and she lightly laughed.

“I don’t see you for one day and you miss me?” he looked away from her as he smiled, “Merlin, you’re like a clingy boyfriend.”

George slightly tensed up at the comment for a second, “Yeah… boyfriend.” Katie heard the words under his breath but decided to ignore them to avoid anything awkward occurring. “Anyways, how was your first day back at practice?” he quickly changed the subject.

She huffed and laid down on the grass, “It was okay. Malfoy was slightly annoying but what do you expect? He says that he’s waiting for the day a new Chaser comes in.” George laid down next to her and stared at the sky.

“I mean… you were a bit rusty with the quaffle when I watched you,” she put her head in her hands and groaned, “But don’t worry, you guys have the field all week so you have enough time to practice. Trust me, Katie, you’re a good Chaser. Hell, even Ginny’s intimidated by you.”

She laughed and smiled at him, “Thanks, George. And Slytherin will be beating Gryffindor on Wednesday.”

George scoffed, “Stop lying, more than half of Slytherin’s good players graduated last year. Now you have Crabbe.”

“Yeah, but they still have me,” she said matter of factly. 

He rolled his eyes, “Slytherins and their pride. They can be on their deathbed and still say that they’ll make it alive.”

Katie let out a dramatic gasp, “Oh, don’t even start. Gryffindors always have a hero complex and want to take matters into their own hands. Does it ever cross your mind that some of us would rather be independent than use teamwork?” They both laughed their mock-fight off. Katie’s eyes trailed to his pouch and her eyebrows furrowed, “What do you pack in that bag?” 

George sat up and opened it, “Thought you’d never ask,” he poured the contents of the bag onto the grass, “Remember the fake wands Fred and I made last summer? Well, we’re making a bunch more products to sell. We already have first years lined up as our testers.”

Katie smiled as she looked at all the products, “And what does Molly think of this?”

“Hates it.”

She laughed and picked up a pink bottle from the pile, “Love potions?”

He shrugged, “Well, we’re trying to get any customer buying our items. It’s only guys who are buying things off of us at the moment.”

Katie was amazed at all of the items in front of her, “George, this is so cool. Are you creating the shop?”

George hesitated for a moment before answering, “Well… Harry gave us his Triwizard Tournament money, so we’re planning on dropping out next semester and starting up our business.”

Her jaw slightly dropped and she paused for a moment before answering, “You’re leaving next semester?” he nodded.

“Well, only if things go to plan.”

“I’m sure they will. You and Fred are going to be great as businessmen,” she assured him, “It’s just going to be weird without you.”

“Don’t worry Katie. You can be our advocate here at Hogwarts to advertise our products. And Fred and I are going to have you over at the shop every day during summer.”

“Of course I will.” she grinned at him. They looked into each other’s eyes until someone was shouting his name. The eye contact broke as they looked over to the castle’s door. Fred was calling George to come over.

He looked back at her, “Sorry Katie I completely forgot but I have to test a few of our products with Fred,” he packed his things in the pouch and stood up.

She shook her head, “It’s ok, don’t worry. I won’t stop you from getting out of this school,” She smiled up at him, “I’m going to stay here for a while, you can go in without me.” They bid each other goodbye and George headed over to Fred.

“Did you tell her yet?”

George shook his head and looked at the floor, “No, she doesn’t seem ready yet. I’ll give her some time.” Fred just slung his arm around his shoulders as they walked. He understood him and figured he wouldn’t want to talk about it.

**Summer of 1994, The Burrow ******

****

****Katie and George had managed to get on top of the Burrow’s roof by riding on their broom. They found a spot where the ghoul in the attic couldn’t reach, and they took in the sounds of crickets and muffled conversations while staring out into the starry sky. Straight ahead of them they could see a speck of Luna Lovegood’s house and the different colored lights in each window.** **

****

****They sat in a comfortable silence until Katie spoke up, “Have you ever had your first kiss?”** **

****

****“Yeah. I was four, and we went to the same playground in the village down the hill,” he smiled, “You?”** **

****“No.”** **

****

****George paused for a second.** **

****

****“What about the Beauxbaton boy during the Yule Ball?”** **

****

****“We never got around to it.” she simply said.** **

****

****He hummed. “What about Draco?”** **

****

****Katie hesitated to answer for a second, “I think he likes Jenni, so… that’s kind of out of the window.” She looked down at her hands.** **

****

****“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it too much if I were you. I mean… you’re gorgeous and anyone would be lucky to be your first kiss.” he gazed at her.** **

****

****She digested his words and looked at him, “Really?”** **

****

****“Of course.”** **

****

****Katie smiled at him but it faltered as she saw his gaze. It immediately brought the heat to her cheeks and she leaned closer to him. She looked into his eyes, then his lips, and back into his eyes.** **

****

****She caught him doing the same and they were lost in each other’s trance. One of her hands lightly sat on the side of his neck and pulled him closer.** **

****

****His hands cupped both sides of her face while his lips brushed over hers like a feather. He hesitated for a moment and stayed long enough to inhale her breath. He leaned down and closed the gap between them.** **

****

****Their lips entwined and their hearts started racing. It felt like the sound of rain tapping on a window, or the cracking of a campfire, or the smell of lavender. It was breathtaking and they both didn’t want to pull away. Katie’s lips lingered for a moment and opened her eyes once George fully pulled away from the kiss.** **

****

****There was a bright look in her eyes that made his heart clench. He wanted them to stay in this position forever. To bask in her gaze and listen to her laughs every day. That was the moment he knew that this girl would be the death of him, for he was wrapped around her finger and she didn’t even know.** **

****

****“I guess you’re the lucky one,” she whispered. He chuckled at her wit and brushed his fingers through her hair.** **

****

****Their moment was shattered when Fred shouted at them to get down for dinner. Katie’s eyes faltered and looked back at him.** **

****

****“We have to go down…”** **

****

****“Yeah,” he whispered. His eyes stared in the same spot as she stood up to get her broom. He still wasn’t able to comprehend what just happened.** **

****

****“You coming down with me?” He looked over at her as she sat on her broom.** **

****

****“Uh-no. I’ll be down soon though,” she nodded and awkwardly looked away. She descended down into the garden and went into the kitchen.** **

****

****George sat there for a good ten minutes. His mind was empty. He still couldn’t fathom the fact that he had just kissed the girl he’s been in love with since he was a child.** **


	6. Chapter 6

It was the night before the game and Katie stayed in with Pansy. She was talking about a Ravenclaw boy she’s been recently talking to. Katie mindlessly listened to her, chewing on the Honeydukes candy she bought a few days ago.

“And he’s so respectful,” Pansy said as she smiled to herself.

“Pansy, your bar is down in hell,” Katie simply said.

Pansy’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her from across the room, “I’m sorry Katie, but not everybody has someone like George.”

“What do you mean, someone like George?” Pansy rolled her eyes.

“Well, you and George obviously have a thing at the moment. And he’s perfect. Respectful, funny, pretty cute, and he gets extra points for being over six feet,” she said, “Too bad the twins aren’t my type though. It’d be so much easier if I liked Fred… It’d also be cute if we’re dating twins…” she muttered.

“Ok, hold on. George and I aren’t having a ‘thing’,” she put up hand quotes, “I just get to spend more time with him now that I’m single. It’s just like how it was before I started dating Malfoy.”

“Katie, you’re the most oblivious person I’ve ever known. You and George have obviously had feelings for each other since before you knew me. Why do you think he still talks to you even though you’re a Slytherin? He’s on the verge of being a Gryffindor supremacist. He wouldn’t have kept in touch if it were me or Blaise. George keeps on talking to you because he loves you.”

“I wouldn’t throw the word love around, Pansy. Maybe just a crush-” she shook her head at her words.

“Trust me, Katie. I’m one lovesick girl and I know love when I see it. It’s something about the way his voice gets more excited when he talks to you. And when he starts standing taller whenever he makes you laugh- oh, and he always tries to make you laugh. Katie, there’s so much. How did you not even notice it?” Katie shrugged, “And I don’t get me started with you. Why do you think Draco was so jealous whenever George was mentioned? We all knew that something was going on between the two of you guys. At first, we thought it was just a puppy crush, you know? Because he was a year older. But as time went on it seemed like your feelings still stayed.”

“What do you mean? I liked Malfoy for the past year and dated him for like what, nine, ten months?”

“You still had feelings for him, even then. It’s just that your mind was busy with Draco and your new relationship that you sort of forgot about your feelings for George. Come on, Katie. You always laugh at his jokes-”

“Because he’s funny! Everyone laughs at his jokes.” 

“Okay, that’s true. But you give off a certain aura whenever you’re with him. It instantly brings up everyone’s vibe. And you always support him no matter what. With the joke shop, his bets, borderline illegal pranks… With everyone else you always have something to say about what they do. You show love through support while he shows love through jokes. That’s how I see it.”

“How did you even find the time to think about all of this? You must’ve been really bored one day because you can create an essay out of this.”

“Well, Blaise and I would talk all the time about it whenever you and Draco would be fighting in either of our dorms. We’d go down to the common room and just talk. Blaise is the more observant one, you see. I didn’t even notice anything between the two of you before he told me about it,” she said, “That’s kind of why everyone isn’t too mad about you and Draco breaking up. We all assumed that you’ll realize sooner or later that your heart rests in George’s hands. But I just had to tell you now because you only have about over a month until he’s dropping out.”

Katie sat in silence, digesting every word she had just heard. Wouldn’t it be wrong of her to move on so fast? But at the same time, Draco had already moved on… she tried her best to ignore the rumors going on about him and Jenni.

“Katie, I know that you and Draco broke up about a month ago, but it honestly seems like you two have moved on already. Draco’s out doing whatever he wants, and it’s time for you to do something for yourself,” she said, “Katie, do whatever feels right to you. Nobody would care whether or not you’re in a relationship. To be honest, I just want to see you happy.” Pansy smiled at her and laid down in bed.

Katie turned off the light and laid in between her sheets, lost in her thoughts. How did everyone know about her feelings before her? Sure, she’s had a bit of a crush on him in the past, but her feelings were pushed aside this past year. After hearing what Pansy said she became more aware of how she acted with him.

Katie always wanted to make George happy. Even when she started dating Draco, she made sure to spend time with him to keep up with him. Katie went as far as canceling a few of their dates to hang out with him.

Her feelings and grudges against Draco have completely faded off, so why not? A month is a short time to get over someone but under their circumstances, the process was faster. She wants to wait for the right time but what if there never is? He’s leaving after winter break, so she’d have to do something quickly.

She decided that tomorrow would be a better time to worry about this. Her quidditch match is tomorrow and she needs to have the energy to play. She’s on the verge of getting kicked out and needs to stay on the team.

______________________________

Classes passed by quickly. There was tension between the Slytherins and Gryffindors throughout the day. Everyone was in high spirit for the first game of the season between two rival houses.

Katie bid Pansy and Blaise goodbye before going into the locker room. Throughout the day she didn’t have time to think about George. Her mind was hazed with anxiety over the match. She put on all of her protective gear and headed out to the field with her broom.

The whole team was gathered on one side of the field while the Gryffindors were huddled on the opposite side. Montague went over the game plan and positions everyone needed to take.

“... And overall, just do your best guys. You’re all good quidditch players so I trust y’all.” The team nodded and went to the center of the field.

“You better not mess this up, Ostara,” Draco muttered behind her. She rolled her eyes and spared a glance at him.

“Don’t worry about me. Worry about the snitch going behind your ear. Make sure you catch it this time.” she remarked.

Before he could come up with a come back the quaffle was thrown in the air, and Katie soared up to catch it. She speedily headed towards the goalposts, wind blowing through her face while the Gryffindors were trying to catch up with her.

She expertly maneuvered the ball and threw it right through Ron’s legs, instantly giving the team ten points. All the Slytherins cheered as Luna announced the score. The game went on and Slytherin was in the lead. Katie was focused until the shouts of a song came from the audience.

”Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring,

That's why Slytherins all sing:

Weasley is our King”

She looked around and saw Draco laughing along with Crabbe, “Ostara, you like the song? Made it just last week. Figured it’d help keep Ron distracted since you need a lot of help giving us points. It seems to be working,” he snickered.

“You’re a dick, Malfoy,” she flew away and tried her best to concentrate on the match. But people kept on shouting the lyrics,

”Weasley was born in a bin

He always lets the Quaffle in

Weasley will make sure we win

Weasley is our King.”

She shook her head and caught the quaffle.

_Concentrate, Katie. Concentrate. ___

__

__She threw the quaffle, and it missed the goalpost by barely an inch. There were some shouts in the crowd and Katie tried her best to ignore them._ _

__

__”Weasley is our King,_ _

__

__Weasley is our King,_ _

__

__He always lets the Quaffle in_ _

__

__

__Katie started missing the goalpost as her anger levels grew. Her muscles tensed and her heart rate was pounding against her chest._ _

__

__”The mud-blood lover will never win._ _

__

__He always lets the quaffle in._ _

__

__He has an ugly double chin._ _

__

__That's why the Slytherins all sing._ _

__

__Weasley is our king.”_ _

__

__“Harry Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!” The song was muffled by the Gryffindor’s cheers. Katie’s heart dropped as the two teams grouped up again. She slowly went to them. She didn’t want to get kicked off the team._ _

__

__“Ostara! What happened? You were doing so well in the beginning.” Montague said. Draco smirked and laughed._ _

__

__Katie glared at him, “I’m sorry, really, but Malfoy’s song distracted me.” she blatantly said._ _

__

__“You’re blaming me? Ostara, you’re the one who missed practice for the past two weeks. That song should’ve helped you, it burned Weasley’s confidence to the ground.”_ _

__

__Montague tried to step in, “Ok, calm down guys. You’re letting your grudges affect your-”_ _

__

__“That’s exactly why! I can’t exactly concentrate if you make the whole crowd make fun of my friend!”_ _

__

__“Oh, all of a sudden he’s your closest friend because you’re dating his brother?”_ _

__

__“Is this really about your jealousy towards George?! Give it a break, Malfoy.”_ _

__

__“Look, your boyfriend is coming over,” he passed by Katie and went up to the opposing team members, “You like my lyrics, Potter?” They all stopped cheering when he came closer to them. Katie caught up and joined the small group forming._ _

__

__“I couldn’t find anything for fat and ugly- for his mother, or useless loser for your father,” Katie, George, and Fred collectively glared at him._ _

__

__“Can you stop being such a jerk and just accept the fact that we lost?” Katie yelled._ _

__

__“Be careful, you might be in the song for the next match. Let’s see… What rhymes with slut? Or whore who can’t make up her mind?” People around them gasped. Katie charged at him but George’s fist had already collided with his cheek._ _

__

__The two teams tried pulling the two away from each other. Fred was struggling to get free from Angelina and Ron’s grip but failed. Katie desperately wanted to join George, but she knew that would make things worse. She rushed up to them and pushed herself between them, separating them with the distance of her arms._ _

__

__They both backed up. She looked over at George, his hair disheveled and he was panting. His chest was quickly heaving up and down while his knuckles were bruised. Looking to her left, Malfoy was a mess. His jaw was bruised and his lip was busted. She struggled to keep in a laugh to stay serious._ _

__

__She looked back at George, “Go with Madam Hooch, I’ll talk to you soon.”_ _

__

__Katie turned around and faced the blond boy, “And you,” she sternly said. Her hand collided with his right cheek. The impact was so strong he almost fell, leaving a red mark on his cheek. There was a collection of “ooh’s” in the crowd. He glared at her as he held his face. “I fucking hate you. Don’t ever talk to me again.” she spat. Swiftly turning around, she went into the office._ _

__

__Harry and George were standing in front of Professor McGonagall as she entered the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt Professor, but they did nothing wrong. Malfoy was the one who provoked them.”_ _

__

__Professor McGonagall turned to Katie, “I’m sure that he did, Miss Ostara, but unfortunately, Mister Malfoy is in the hands of Professor Snape. And I’m obligated to remove Mister Potter and Weasley from the team,” she somberly said._ _

__

__Katie’s shoulders fell and there was a moment of silence between them. The tension was high and filled up the room. George went up behind her, “Katie, it’s fine. There’s nothing we can do about it,” his whispers sent shivers down her spine. She nodded and headed out the door._ _

__

__Goyle, Crabbe, Blaise, and Montague were around Malfoy. They all turned their heads to look at Katie as she walked out. She made eye contact with them, glared, and headed towards the locker room._ _

__

__Angelina and Ginny were thankfully finished changing, giving her the whole room to herself. She slammed the locker door shut once she was done. Katie sat on the bench for a few minutes._ _

__

___It’s just not fair ____ _

___ _

___Her head laid in her hands as she let her thoughts speed through her mind. Harry and George were off the team because of him, and she most definitely is going to be kicked off the team too._ _ _

___ _

___After calming herself, she went through the exit and headed straight towards the castle. All she wanted to do was get away from everyone. The only person she wanted to talk to probably hates her at this point._ _ _

___ _

___“Katie!” she turned around to see Montague come up to her._ _ _

___ _

___She internally groaned and waited until he was closer to her, “I’m sorry about all of that Montague. I know I’m off the team, so if you’d just let me leave that’d be great.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Actually, that’s the thing. You’re still on the team,” she gave him a quizzical look, “You’re one of our best players, Slytherin can’t lose you. Just make sure that you don’t let Draco bother you. I’ll make sure of that too.”_ _ _

___ _

___She smiled and nodded at him, “I’ll try my best.” She walked off and headed towards the dungeons. People were gossiping and sending whispers around her, but she ignored them and went straight to her dorm. She entered the room but stood paralyzed in the entrance._ _ _

___ _

___George was standing in the middle of the room, quidditch gear still on. He looked at her and Katie couldn’t read his expression. She slowly closed the door and went closer to him._ _ _

___ _

___“Look, George. I’m sorry about everything. You shouldn’t have been kicked off the team for that-”_ _ _

___ _

___“Katie, I already told you that it’s fine. It doesn’t matter, I’m leaving Hogwarts anyway,” She hesitated for a moment, but nodded._ _ _

___ _

___“So… was something so important you had to come up to my dorm?”_ _ _

___ _

___He let out a nervous laugh, “Well, when I got out of the office, I kind of had a cathartic moment,” he said, “And I decided that if I didn’t say it now I wouldn’t be able to say it at all.”_ _ _

___ _

___Katie grew nervous as she listened to him, “You’ve probably already known about this, but um,” words itched out of him, “Well, you see… you’re one of the best people I’ve ever known. Somedays I like you more than Fred- don’t tell him that- and you’re the most amazing girl ever-”_ _ _

___ _

___She had a sudden burst of confidence. Emotions overcame her and she lunged forward, smashing her lips against his. His hands went to cup her jaw. Katie pulled back and looked into his eyes._ _ _

___ _

___“I like you a lot, George. If that’s what you’re implying,” a slight smile formed on their lips, “And I really want to give us a chance.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Me too,” he pulled her into another kiss. But this time it wasn’t rushed. They took their time with it, their lips dancing together. Their eyes were closed, and Katie’s hands combed through his hair. It felt as though they were the only ones in the world, with no care in the world about the circumstances they were previously in._ _ _

___ _

___George backed up and they were laying on the bed, their lips still connected. He pulled back and his breath fanned over her face as she was on top of him. Lust filled the room as they looked at each other._ _ _

___ _

___Katie shifted her hips on him and his breathing got harder. Before she could go on, George placed his hands on her hips, stopping her._ _ _

___ _

___“Wait, are you sure about this Katie? I don’t want you to rush into anything.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Yes,” she breathed out, “We’ve done enough waiting, George.”_ _ _

___ _

___As she finished her sentence, he flipped her around on the bed. Katie laid on her back as George was hovering over her. His lips attacked her neck as her hands traveled from the back of his neck, chest, and to the hem of his shirt._ _ _

___ _

___He pulled his shirt off and did the same for Katie. Their breathing was hard and George momentarily gazed at her chest._ _ _

___ _

___“You’re so beautiful, Katie.” his hands grazed over her chest and unclipped her bra. She quietly moaned under his gaze._ _ _

___ _

___He planted kisses down her body, stopping at the waistband of her pants. George smirked up at her before looking down and unzipping the pants. As he pulled them off, her bare legs were exposed. She felt the fabric of her underwear get wet, and she clenched her thighs together._ _ _

___ _

___George swiftly got rid of his pants and placed himself between her legs. He slowly pulled down her underwear, torturing her with the painfully slow movements. She whimpered as they were off, her arousal growing._ _ _

___ _

___He ignored her pleas as she placed kisses down her inner thighs. He stopped and licked between her folds. Katie convulsed at the sudden feeling and her hands grabbed the bedsheets. Her moans encouraged him to keep going. His tongue rubbed her sensitive clit, stroking small circles around it._ _ _

___ _

___Her hands went everywhere; from the sheets to her tits, then down to his hair. Katie’s legs started to shake as he swirled his tongue around her._ _ _

___ _

___Near her peak, he pulled away and licked his lips while she looked at him with a hazed look. Nothing but muttered words could be exchanged between them, as they reveled in their emotions._ _ _

___ _

___As he went back up, Katie propped herself up with her elbows. She shuddered as she felt the tip of his dick inside her. Her moans became louder as he slowly rocked into her._ _ _

___ _

___“Oh my god,” Katie whimpered, “Fuck, go faster.”_ _ _

___ _

___George succumbed to her pleas and pummeled into her. Their moans filled the room as Katie took in all of him. Her legs shook around his hips and her pussy clenched around his dick._ _ _

___ _

___He groaned at the feeling and buried his face in her neck, “Come for me Katie,” he breathed out. His strokes became rougher and Katie’s nails scratched down his back._ _ _

___ _

___Katie’s orgasm shot through her and she thrashed underneath him. Her moans brought George to his edge. He pulled out and stroked his cock before coming on her stomach. Katie moaned at the sight while he moaned._ _ _

___ _

___They laid together in the bed for a few minutes before George got a tissue to clean her up. He set her head on his chest and her hands snaked around his waist. Katie looked back at him and he looked into her eyes. He went in to softly kiss her. They pulled away smiling at each other. George and Katie laid together in their embrace smiling to themselves, enjoying the moment they’ve been anticipating for an eternity._ _ _


	7. Chapter 7

George and Katie laid in her bed, talking for hours on end. Their laughter was interrupted by the sound of music blasting. Pansy frantically opened the door and looked straight ahead at Katie. Her jaw slightly dropped when she saw George, and a smile rose upon her lips.

“Finally! It’s about time you two got together! Oh, wait until Blaise-”

“Pansy, the door!” Katie shouted.

“Oh, sorry,” she immediately closed the door, “I’m very happy for you guys, but right now Nick and I need this room.”

“Nick?” George asked. 

“It’s the Ravenclaw boy she’s seeing. She’s been talking about him non stop these past few weeks,” Katie muttered to him.

“Come on, you guys had your moment, and let us have ours. Just go to the party downstairs while we’re up here,” she whined.

“Party? You guys lost and you’re having a party?” George teased.

“Calm down, we have a party every weekend without fail. Now please get out.”

Katie laughed, “Ok, ok. Just give us like thirty minutes.” Pansy smiled and exited the room.

They quickly showered and put on their clothes. Thankfully George had spare clothes in his quidditch bag. Katie did some last-minute touch-ups to her hair, and they headed downstairs to the party.

She walked into the common room while she held George’s hand, leading him through the crowds of people. The music blasted throughout the room and the bass shook their chests. The dim green lights bounced off the smoke, and there was an occasional spark of light from people lighting their joints.

Katie forgot that almost all Slytherins despised Gryffindors, and George’s red hair stood out from the crowd as he towered over everyone.

Some of the students glared at him, but they soon softened up to his presence. Considering he and his brother supply the majority of them for their weekly party ‘activities’, they let him pass.

Katie and he sat on the couch farthest away from the crowd. They relaxed and took in the scene while the music bounced off the walls.

Across the room sat Draco and Blaise. Draco saw Katie as soon as she entered the room with the redhead following her. He scowled as he saw him fist bump people passing by him. His eyes followed Katie and watched her sit on the couch.

Jealousy crept upon him as he watched George’s arm wrap around her shoulder. The way she leaned on his chest hurt him, but all he emanated was frustration.

“It’s about time they got together,” Blaise said, “I mean, I thought they’d ignore their feelings for each other for the rest of their lives.”

“Shut up, Blaise,” Draco muttered. Blaise stayed quiet as Draco lit up his joint. He thought that if he let the smoke fill his lungs it would become a distraction for him.

But as he exhaled, his eyes traveled to Katie once again. She stopped at the table full of drinks. He watched her as she poured the contents into her cup.

_Ice. Two ounces of vodka. Fill the rest of the cup with soda. ___

__

__Draco had her drink recipe memorized, and recited it in his mind as he watched her make it. He had always teased her for having a basic drink. His heart clenched as he thought of the way it made her laugh whenever he teased her._ _

__

__His mind went back to the joint that was slowly burning. He was halfway done with it. As he put it between his lips, his eyes momentarily went back to the couple across the room. He closed his eyes, inhaled, and exhaled. His head laid back on the couch and he stared at the ceiling. His senses slowed and his whole body started to relax. Draco’s eyes were red and hooded._ _

__

__The feeling was so normal for him at this point. He can’t remember the last time his body could independently function. Six months? Ten? A year? It had to be near the end of fifth year._ _

__

__Draco hated his dependency on weed. It used to be fun, but it only lasted for a second. Soon enough he had to smoke to keep his headaches at bay. To keep him distracted from his own emotions and thoughts. He couldn’t recall almost anything that had happened during summer. He had been numb since then._ _

__

__Everyone noticed how dependent he was over the months, but they were too scared to mention it to him. About two months ago Draco noticed how much it would stress Katie out. He wanted to get clean for her. But his actions were poorly planned out, and he completely cut out his use of weed._ _

__

__His body inevitably went into withdrawal._ _

__

__His body let out cold sweats as he vomited into the toilet. Katie kneeled next to him and rubbed his back. She blinked back tears as he leaned on her chest. His limp body rested against her, shaking, and her arms were wrapped firmly around him._ _

__

__Draco could tell she wanted to cry. But he only had the energy to lean against her as his body trembled._ _

__

__They managed to get on the bed, and Katie sat the trash can on the ground next to him. She sat on the other side of the bed and brushed the blond hair out of his face. He looked at her with watery eyes and tried to read her. She was filled with anxiety, sadness, and worry. But there was also a small increment of anger and frustration laced in her eyes._ _

__

__Draco felt an incredible amount of guilt. He hated that he put her through this. His cold hand held hers, “I’m sorry Katie,” he rasped out. She looked down at him and stayed silent. Her face was filled with worry as she studied his face._ _

__

__She thought, “He’s not the same boy I knew before. What happened to us? Everything used to be so simple. So carefree. We knew each other inside out. Now, look at us. He’s struggling beneath me and here I am, angry at him for trying to better himself. Why? A few months ago I couldn’t bear to be angry at him for this. I can’t remember the last time I truly felt happy with him… all we ever do is fight. But I still care about him. When did everything change? I should say something.” words failed to come out of her mouth. Instead, she planted a kiss on top of his head and laid down._ _

__

__She pulled him into her embrace and he grabbed onto her. He held her tight, thinking that it’ll help stop the trembling. Draco continuously wept out apologies and Katie tried her best to calm him down. She rubbed his back and quietly shushed him. Soon enough his energy was depleted, and he fell asleep in her arms. Silent tears traveled down Katie’s cheeks as the night passed._ _

__

__Draco thought about that moment from two months back. Nobody deserves to experience what they went through. Nobody should have witnessed what Katie did. Nobody deserves to feel the intense ache of their muscles the way Draco did._ _

__

__Word somehow got around about his problem. Most likely because he and Katie didn’t attend class for two weeks. Everyone pitied Katie. They thought, “I couldn’t even imagine what she’s going through. Having a boyfriend like that. So much stress. So much responsibility.”_ _

__

__Nobody felt for Draco. They looked at him as selfish and destructive. If he did that to himself, torture his girlfriend, why would he deserve their sympathy? People couldn’t see addiction as a disease. They saw it as a choice._ _

__

__Draco was born with addiction laced in his genes. It formed from the shouts of his parents in the kitchen. From the shadow that formed around his head since he could remember. It crept up on him the day he tried drugs for the first time. Ever since then, he’s been battling a losing game._ _

__

__While everyone ‘supported’ Katie, Draco started to push her away. His jealousy got the best of him, and it was petty of him to ignore her after what they went through. Katie tried her best to bring the attention away from her. It wasn’t her fault that people couldn’t understand what was happening with him._ _

__

__He felt an enormous amount of guilt that will carry on for eternity. When he needed her the most, he pushed her away. Draco was afraid of looking weak in front of Katie, but in return, it broke her to pieces. She got discouraged, and duller. Her eyes looked tiresome whenever she looked at him. The only one who truly understood him was losing faith in him._ _

__

__Draco felt the couch dip beside him. His eyes were still closed but he felt a hand gingerly brush his hair away from his face. For a split second, he imagined it was Katie, softly telling him that it’s time for him to stop. But he opened his eyes and looked over to find Jenni smirking at him._ _

__

__“Do you want to go up to my dorm?” she asked._ _

__

__He looked at her with a hazy look and grinned, “Sure.”_ _

__

__As they stood up, Draco momentarily glanced back at the couple. Katie was laughing along with George. All he noticed was the way her eyes illuminated when she looked at the redhead._ _


	8. Chapter 8

Katie was sitting on the bench of the piano, her fingers dancing on the keys. She played almost every night while people studied in the common room. She imagined that she was up on stage with a crowd of people in the audience watching her with the piano belting out a melodic tone.

As she looked up, the students were still belligerently scratching down notes on their parchment. She watched Draco walk across the room and sit on the couch right in her eye-sight. Katie tried her best to ignore him, took a deep breath, and went on to her next song.

Her concentration was broken when Daphne entered the common room and went over to her.

“Katie, George is waiting outside for you,”

Katie grinned and stood up, “Thanks, Daph.” She nodded and left. Katie quickly put away her sheet music and walked towards the door. As she passed by the couch, she heard Draco scoff. Her footsteps paused and she thought about ignoring it, but she couldn’t help it, “Is there a problem?”

She looked over to see him smirking, “Oh, nothing. It’s just that he seems to have a thing for hand me downs. You know, he has second-hand robes from his brothers, used books,” Draco took a pause, looking her up and down, “And now he has my leftovers.”

Katie’s body grew hot with anger, and she tried her best to not make a scene, “You’re one to talk, considering your little thing with Rosman. She’s been with practically everyone in the school” her heart stung with regret when she heard her words. Sure, they weren’t on good terms but she still felt guilty for shaming her.

Draco let out a breathy laugh, “You still can’t let that go, huh?” She stayed silent, slightly quivering with anger, “Riddle me this, what kind of girl breaks up with their boyfriend and finds another one a month later?” He waited for a moment before talking again. He amused himself by watching Katie’s expression, “A selfish, manipulative, and careless slut.”

He was shocked at his own words. He saw the way her shoulders fell and her mouth slightly open. Everyone was filtering out of the common room into their dorms by now; they didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire. Katie’s eyes bored into him.

Her emotions were mixed. Was she hurt? Angry? Shocked? Offended?

But anger swelled up in her chest, surrounding her broken heart, “You have no right to say that shit, Malfoy,” she seethed, “Not after I stayed with you even though you didn’t want me to. Or when all you would do is make me feel like shit. Not after all the shit you put me through only to push me away. _You _are the one that’s selfish and manipulative. And most of all, don’t ever call me a slut.” Draco slightly flinched at her words. He couldn’t bear to look into her eyes, knowing that they’re going to petrify him.__

__

__Katie promptly stormed off, blinking away the tears blurring her vision. She opened the door and George was waiting outside for her. A sigh left her mouth and a smile appeared. All the emotions she had previously felt flew away as she looked at him._ _

__

__He went up with a questioning look before taking her in his arms. “What’s wrong? You looked a bit scary when you came out.” he joked._ _

__

__Katie was deciding whether or not she should tell him about what Malfoy said. But as she looked up at him and saw his smile, she didn’t want to break it. “Nothing, just this potions essay I’m doing.” He nodded._ _

__

__They raced each other to the lake, but Katie couldn’t keep up considering his height. They were laughing and George grabbed her hand. He landed on the grass and she followed quickly after. They rolled over and looked at the sky. The only thing they could hear was their breathing and water splashing on the bay._ _

__

__The night was frosty and the air was cold. The moon’s light was blurred from the clouds, but the stars managed to hang below them. They stood out and glistened against the navy blue sky. The grass beneath them grazed the shell of their ears, and the smell filled Katie with comfort. George’s hand was still tangled in her fingers, but the two of them didn’t mind._ _

__

__He looked over and admired her, “Katie?” she hummed, “What do you want to do once you’re out of Hogwarts?”_ _

__

__“A pianist,” she said coolly._ _

__

__“Really? A muggle job?” he asked._ _

__

__“Well, it’s not a muggle job if I charm the ceiling like the Great Hall. Or play for the dancing veelas” she said, “I don’t have any other interests other than the piano. I love playing it. No matter how shitty times are, the piano still manages to pull through for me.”_ _

__

__As she went on about composing songs, all George could focus on was her. From the way her face lit up to the little breath she takes after laughing. He was so afraid of losing her. It felt like a privilege to even be with her._ _

__

__“She makes me want to become a better person. I have my future planned out with her in it already and she doesn’t even know. She doesn’t have to know. I don’t want to scare her away. So much has happened to her I think she’d just want to enjoy the moment. Why is the thought of her leaving me for him still there? I know she wouldn’t but it still bothers me. He looks at her the same way as I do. But I shouldn’t worry too much. I trust her,” he thought to himself as she talked to herself mindlessly._ _

__

__“Hey, do you think you can come to the Burrow for winter break?” he asked._ _

__

__“Oh yeah, my parents said that some relative is coming over for Christmas, so I’d have to stay over there for the first week,” she grunted, “But I’ll try to come over for New Years’.”_ _

__

__“Ah, ok.”_ _

__

__They looked at each other for several minutes. Although it was dark, they still managed to find each other’s eyes and gaze at each other. They both wanted to tell each other the three words that were running through their minds. But they both reluctantly swallowed their words, thinking that a month was too soon. Instead, George pulled her into his chest and her arms snaked around his waist._ _

__

__Draco stood in the middle of the common room as he heard the door close. He heard a muffled conversation before the sounds of laughter faded away. His heart wrenched as he thought of the words that spilled out of his mouth. He was feeling anxious that day and wanted to hear Katie playing to calm his nerves. But his destructive traits were left unattended. He couldn’t go one minute without making remarks._ _

__

__But she was right. During their time together, he had been selfish and pushed her away many times._ _

__

__After his withdrawal, things between the two of them weren’t the same anymore. While Katie tried her best to be there for him, all he would do was push her away._ _

__

__“Draco, please just let me in,” Katie pleaded. They were in his dorm in, yet again, another fight._ _

__

__“Katie, you won’t understand,” he snapped, “You’ve never been through what I’ve been through. You should just give up at this point.”_ _

__

__“No, Draco. I will understand once you tell me what’s going on with you. It would be so much easier if we just talked things out instead of getting lost in translation.”_ _

__

__“Well it’s a bit too fucking late for that, Katie,” he argued, “If you’d just tell me that you had a problem with my smoking then we could’ve gone a better route than having me go through a fucking withdrawal!”_ _

__

__Anger flashed through her eyes, “Don’t fucking turn this on me Draco-”_ _

__

__“Everything I do is because I love you too much.”_ _

__

__“Is that so?”_ _

__

__“Yes.”_ _

__

__“So you pushing me away is because you love me? Or what about for the past month you have to be drunk, or high, or both, to spend more than one hour with me without fighting?” he stayed silent, “What about the fact that whatever I do doesn’t make you satisfied? No matter how much I try, it doesn’t seem to meet your expectations. If what you say is true, then that’s a shitty way of showing love.” her voice trembled, “And I don’t want to deal with that anymore.”_ _

__

__Draco looked up at her. Katie’s eyes glistened with tears and the wrinkle between her eyebrows appeared. He struggled to let out words. Panic rose when she headed to the dresser and pulled out her clothes._ _

__

__He remained silent but hastily shoved the garments back into the drawer._ _

__

__“Draco, stop!”_ _

__

__“Don’t leave,” he said sternly. Katie looked up at him with a sharp look despite the tears that fell down her cheeks. His heart started pulsating as she stayed silent. “Please don’t fucking leave,” he breathed out. This time his voice trembled._ _

__

__Katie stood there, leaning on the dresser as Draco faced her profile with pleading eyes. She broke down and fresh tears trickled down her face._ _

__

__He pulled her into his arms and she tried to push him away. Katie struggled between his arms as Draco took in her weak punches against his chest. She was shouting at him to let go, that she hated him. Tears were streaming down his hollowed cheeks and his arms were kept firm around her as she calmed down._ _

__

__The two stood with his arms around her and her head laid on his chest. Her tears stained his shirt as his chin rested upon her head. Katie’s whimpers broke his heart and her arms were hung limply around his waist._ _

__

__“I can’t do this anymore Draco,” she whispered._ _

__

__“I know,” there was a pregnant pause, “Please just stay a little longer.”_ _

__

__Katie hugged him tighter and wept. They stood there with tear-stained cheeks and broken hearts. She slowly pulled away while his arms lingered around her, still afraid of what’s to happen next. She turned around and headed towards the bed._ _

__

__“I just want to sleep right now,” she mumbled._ _

__

__Draco slowly slid under the covers and laid next to her. Katie’s back faced him, but her hand reached out behind her to hold his own. Their fingers intertwined and he slightly squeezed her hand._ _

__

__Words didn’t need to be exchanged for them to understand what was to happen. They still deeply cared for each other, but their time was coming to an end._ _

__

__That was two weeks before their breakup. During those two weeks, they tried their best to ignore the gaping hole in their relationship. Draco constantly wondered whether it could’ve been fixed if his jealousy didn’t get the best of him._ _

__

__It wouldn’t._ _


	9. Chapter 9

Two weeks have passed by quickly. With exams in every class, endless studying, and sleepless nights, the students finally had a chance to relax. Pansy and Katie were walking back up to their dorm to get ready.

“Are you sure you want to go to that Gryffindor party?” Pansy whined, “It’s our last day and you ditch one of the best Slytherin parties to go and hang out with _them _?”__

__

__“Pansy, come on. I would go with you if George hadn’t invited me. I’ve barely got to talk to him this past week.”_ _

__

__“Please, I know you sneak out every night to talk to him,” Katie blushed, “I’m going to be so alone there. I’m going to resort to Blaise and Draco, who just smoke the whole time. It’s so boring.” she huffed._ _

__

__“I’ll make it up to you next semester, Pansy, don’t worry,” their arms interlocked as they walked down the dormitory hall._ _

__

__They packed their trunks and prepared their belongings for the next day before getting ready. By the time they were finishing up their make-up and putting on jewelry, music was blasting from the common room and the bass slightly shook the floor._ _

__

__Katie and Pansy walked down together before waving goodbye and going separate ways. As she was heading towards the door, several friends passed by and told her to stay. She politely rejected their offer and successfully exited the room. George was standing near the entrance and smiled down at her._ _

__

__“Are you ready?” he slung his arm around her neck._ _

__

__“Yeah. But I bet it won’t be as fun as Slytherin parties, but I’ll give it a chance,” she teased as George laughed._ _

__

__George and Katie have been going strong for the two short months they’ve been together. They tried to do the most they could before he left. Despite their short time as a couple, they were crazy for each other._ _

__

__They, along with Fred, would pull pranks on anybody and anyone. Whenever the twins had first years test out their products, Katie would manage to nurse them back to prevent any suspicion from the professors._ _

__

__George was amazed at how supportive she was with him starting a shop. Everyone was displeased with his and Fred’s plan, saying that it’s unrealistic. But Katie not only supported him but gave input on any products they suggested._ _

__

__Katie was grateful to have someone that understood her. Sometimes it felt like George knew more about her than she did. He knew exactly what to do when she was sad or exhausted. Whether it is hanging out in the Black Lake, going to Hogsmeade, or just cuddling in bed, he always knew how to keep her happy._ _

__

__Molly had found out about their relationship and sent Katie a homemade pie along with a letter. She explained to Katie how she’d known about their feelings for each other since they were kids._ _

__

__In the past, George would always lock himself in his room for about an hour whenever Katie would leave for home. And the fact that she was happy they were finally together. George grunted as Katie read aloud his mother’s embarrassing stories about him, but he couldn’t stay mad. Katie was laughing and that alone calmed him down._ _

__

__They entered the Gryffindor common room and George’s hand rested on her lower back and led her through the crowd. People were eyeing Katie as they walked through and she tried her best not to shrivel up under their gaze. Ginny, Fred, and Ron were calling them in from the couches. Katie sat in between Ron and George and ignored the tension radiating off of Harry and Hermione in front of her._ _

__

__“Calm down you two. It’s just Katie,” Ron said. The two nervously laughed and Hermione looked over to Katie._ _

__

__“Sorry, Katie. It’s just that we haven’t had the best experiences with Slytherins this year.”_ _

__

__“It’s ok, I understand.” Katie reassured._ _

__

__Everyone began to lighten up as time passed and Butterbeer was passed around. Katie leaned against his shoulder as she laughed at Ron’s story. As more people filtered into the common room, music became louder and more people were cheering. Soon enough the lights were red and people started dancing._ _

__

__George pulled her up to the crowd and held both of her hands while dancing. They smiled widely at each other, Katie’s hair bounced around while jumping and George cheered her on. He spun her around to press her back against his chest. His hands rested on her hips as they swayed along to the music. Their heat radiated off onto each other and they stayed silent. Katie could feel his breath fan the curve of her neck._ _

__

__“Do you want to go up to my dorm?” George asked. She nodded and he quickly grabbed her hand and led her to the stairs._ _

__

__The long flight of stairs left the breathless and they snickered at each other. They ran to his dorm and George closed and locked the door. As soon as he turned around, Katie smashed her lips onto his._ _

__

__Her heart pounded against her chest and her knees grew weak. Their breathing was hard and Katie’s hands pushed him onto his bed._ _

__

__It’s almost as if time had stopped. The music drowned out and it was just George and Katie. With his arms draped around her waist to pull her in. With her hands cupping his cheeks and her hips resting on his. Their lips were in sync and the sheets of the bed shuffled._ _

__

__Katie’s hair grazed over his neck and heat dropped from her stomach to inbetween her legs. She grinded against his growing erection and quietly moaned. Her hands were on his chest and traveled down to the hem of his shirt._ _

__

__He sat up and took off his shirt; so did Katie. Before she could unclip her bra, he promptly turned her around. She was sitting in between his legs, her back against his bare chest._ _

__

__His hands crept from her chest, to her waist, and down to her thighs. She bit her lip as he pried her legs open._ _

__

__“Take it off,” she hastily shed off her pants, “All of it.” She impatiently huffed and pulled down her underwear, throwing it on the floor._ _

__

__Katie laid back on his chest and her head rested on his shoulder. George put both of his arms under hers and bent his head down to whisper:_ _

__

__“It’s your last day with me here. I better give you something to remember.” his voice was hoarse as he teased her. Katie was about to make a remark but gasped as his right hand slightly pinched her inner thigh._ _

__

__He used his other hand to keep her legs open. Her hands were hooked around his upper arms as she whimpered. He seemed to touch every inch of her except for the one she wanted._ _

__

__George’s hand circled around her pussy before using two fingers to spread her folds apart. Katie moaned at the contact and her grip around his arms tightened. His fingers pressed onto her clit and rubbed small circles._ _

__

__Katie tried her best to not cry out in pleasure. She moaned and writhed under her touch._ _

__

__George let out a breathy laugh at her neediness. After playing with her clit and sliding his fingers up and down her slit, he brought his two fingers up to Katie. They were soaked from her wetness and she whimpered at the sight, clenching her thighs._ _

__

__“Suck my fingers clean, Katie.” He breathed out. She held his wrist and sucked, her tongue was swirling around his fingers. George groaned and pulled his hand away, “Perfect,” he muttered._ _

__

__Katie gasped as one finger slammed into her pussy. She moaned as his hand pumped in and out. He plunged another finger in her and she grasped his thigh. Her legs trembled and George heaved._ _

__

__“You like this, huh?” she moaned in reply, “You’re fucking beautiful.” He murmured promises and comments into her ear and she shuddered against him._ _

__

__His fingers wriggled inside of her and made Katie’s moaned louder. He brought his other hand from her inner thigh to her abused clit, rubbing it. She rocked against his hands and weakly pushed them away from the stimulation. But his hand continued to pound into her._ _

__

__“Fuck, I’m going to come,” she choked out. His motions become faster, along with their breathing._ _

__

__“Come for me, Katie. Clench around my fingers.” She convulsed and cried out. Her orgasm washed over her as she shuddered against him. His hands slowly came to a stop, riding out her orgasm. She clenched her thighs as he pulled them about and cradled her in his arms.A layer of sweat covered them and Katie laid back against him. Her breathing was heavy and she quietly whimpered. George planted kisses across her neck and shoulder with his hands on her breasts._ _

__

__She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh. But an idea formed when she felt his dick poke through his pants. She smirked and turned around in his arms. George looked up at her with hooded eyes._ _

__

__“Katie, you don’t have to do this I’m fine-” she cut him off with a kiss._ _

__

__“I want to. It’s also your last day here.” she grinned and pulled down his pants and underwear.His hard cock laid on his abdomen, aching to be touched. George’s chest heaved up and down as he looked down at her. Katie’s hand grazed up and down his shaft while she licked and sucked on his tip._ _

__

__He groaned and used one hand to caress the side of her head, brushing away stray hairs as she looked up at him. A few moments passed and Katie could feel him shift under her touch._ _

__

__She sat back up and shuffled over to straddle him. Their breathing was hard as he aligned himself with her. She sunk down on his cock and her mouth fell agape as he bottomed out._ _

__

__She shut her eyes before opening them back up. Their eyes connected and her fingers ran through his hair before grinding against him. She moaned as she felt every vein slide in and out of her pussy._ _

__

__George’s breaths became labored and she knew he was about to come. She held her hands on his shoulders and moved herself up and down his cock. He bucked his hips up to meet hers as he groaned._ _

__

__“I’m gonna come, Katie,” he choked out. She rested her forehead against his and looked into his eyes, giving him a nod. His breath filled her lungs and his hands held her hips down to his._ _

__

__He threw his head back and moaned while cum seeped into her. She moaned and soon came after him, her pussy clenching around him. Their movements slowly came to a stop and their breathing had calmed down._ _

__

__A few minutes passed before Katie pushed herself off, hissing at the contact. She laid on his chest and George wrapped his arms around her._ _

__

__“I love you, Katie,” he mumbled out.It was as though time had stopped for Katie. It felt too soon. Sure, she loved him, but it was too soon for her to say. What does she say? She doesn’t want to ruin what they have by using silence. Why did he have to say it right now? There were so many opportunities for him to say it, but he waits until now._ _

__

__George interrupted her thought by speaking up again, “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to tell you before I left.” He kissed the top of her head._ _

__

__Katie smiled up at him and he looked back. Words weren’t needed to show their understanding. She leaned back down on his chest and hugged him tightly, almost as though that was her reply to his three words._ _

__

__“She can’t say it now, but she does.” he thought._ _

__

__-Slytherin Common Room-_ _

__

__Draco sat on the couch with his arm slung around Jenni. She felt proud and accomplished to be in her position, as though she had won a trophy. He rolled his eyes and continued to smoke his joint._ _

__

__He tried his best to forget his plans for the next day. Washing down his thoughts with firewhiskey bottles and breathing them out through the smoke didn’t help. He mindlessly listened to Goyle’s story while the music blasted through the room and shook their drinks on the table._ _

__

__Despite the dim green lights, Draco was able to scan the room and notice that Katie was nowhere to be seen._ _


	10. Chapter 10

Katie sat in the train compartment with her head calmly resting on George’s shoulder. He was talking with Fred about ways to send their products successfully through Filch’s secrecy sensor. Ginny was talking to her about their plans for when she comes over for New Year’s.

“Are you sure you can’t come over right after Christmas?” Ginny asked.

Katie sadly nodded, “Yeah, I’ll try to see you guys as soon as I can.”

She slept the majority of the train ride. George woke her up when they arrived at King’s Cross Station. They said goodbye before getting out of the train- she couldn’t risk her parents seeing her with the Weasleys.

Their hands lingered as they walked separate ways.

“I’ll see you in a week, ok?” George reassured. Katie nodded.

“Write to me everyday ok?”

He nodded before turning around and going to the station. She looked around for her parents, but they hadn’t shown up anywhere. Before she could think that they would arrive late, someone was slightly tugging her jacket hem.

Katie looked down to see her house-elf shyly looking at her. Her shoulders dropped when she realized that her parents sent someone to get her. She’d expect that they would at least pick her up, considering they haven’t seen her in months.

“Hi, Didi.” She sighed.

“Miss Ostara, you are to come with me to go home. Your parents are waiting.”

“Ok.” There was defeat laced in her voice as she held the elf’s hand. The elf apparated and Katie’s body felt compressed and her head spun for a split second before landing in front of the mansion.

The gates opened and Didi walked along with Katie. Their footsteps crunched against the gravel. There was a layer of snow in the garden, covering the bushes and flowerbeds. As Katie breathed out, the fog appeared around her face.

Her eyes raked over the mansion. The dark bricks complemented the black roof, contrasting with the white trimmed windows. It looked still and dark, the pillars of the entrance’s archways towered over her. She walked along the circular driveway, she thought about her time here as a child.

The mansion seemed unfamiliar to her. She tried her best not to stay over too long during holidays. It was lonely and dark inside considering her dad was always in his office and her mom constantly goes out to Ministry events. Everything felt detached, as though she was a ghost that lived in the house.

The elf walked ahead of her and knocked on the grand doors. She apparated away to the maid’s quarters, leaving her alone. Katie could hear the clicking of her mom’s heels grow louder as she approached the door.

Her mom cracked the door and fully opened it when she saw her. Katie reluctantly walked in and handed another house-elf her coat. Katie looked over to see her mom looking at her with a stern look.

“Hi, mom. Good to see you too.” She pointedly said.

She disregarded her greeting and turned Katie around to head to the dining room. “Go and say hi to your father first. Then you’ll be ready.” She sniffed.

“Ready for what?” She mumbled.

The doors opened and her dad stood up from the chair. Someone else stood up next to him and straightened out his black suit. Katie couldn’t see his face until her dad walked over to her. It was Draco Malfoy.

Her heart beat faster and her eyebrows furrowed. Despite the cold room, Katie’s body was heating up with anger.

“Why is he here?” Draco while he shifted under her glare.

“Don’t worry, Katie we’ll tell you everything afterward,” Katie’s dad stood in front of her, “It’s nice to see you again.” His eyes showed that his words were sincere. It looked as though there were a million things he wanted to say to her but he couldn’t let it out.

He pulled her into a hug and Katie returned the gesture. She closed her eyes and breathed in. Cigars and pinewood. The same smell she knew ever since she was a kid. They pulled away and her mom cleared her throat.

“Come on, there’s someone we want you to meet.” She led the way and Katie followed her along with her dad and Draco.

They all stopped at the door to the drawing-room. Her mom gave her a look, pointing her head at the door. Everyone was silent. Katie reluctantly twisted the doorknob and looked around. Her parents were looking at her while Draco’s eyes were glued to the floor.

She looked ahead and entered the drawing-room. The door shut and the wind sent shivers down her spine. She took a few more steps inside before there was a loud crack from the center of the open room.

There was a cloaked man with a hood over his face. His pale bony hands lifted to pull down his hood as he turned around. It revealed his pale white, skull-like face. His eyes were red and there were two slits for nostrils. His lips were thin and revealed sharp teeth as he smiled. Voldemort.

Katie put two and two and two together and fear rushed up to her. She tried heading towards the door but was stuck. Paralyzing curse. He must’ve cast it when he came in, she thought. Her breathing became hard as he slowly walked towards her.

“Katie Ostara,” he rasped out, “It’s good to finally meet you.”

Tears formed in her eyes and the curse was lifted for a split second before he grasped her left wrist. His grip was firm and his hands were cold. She screamed out for her parents as he pulled out his wand and pointed it to her forearm.

Her throat ripped as she screamed out in pain. Her forearm burned under his wand. The pain spread throughout her body, as though hot, deep scratches were pulling her down. She fell on her knees as her whole arm burned.

As Katie opened her eyes, tears blurred her vision. She saw the dark mark form. The outline of the scar appeared, filling up with jet black ink. Voldemort’s menacing laugh made her silently cry in defeat.

The pain ceased and Voldemort backed up slightly. She sat back on her legs, too drowsy and exhausted to stand up. Her whole left side felt numb. Before she could even breathe, Voldemort pointed his wand at her.

Suddenly he invaded her mind. From her times at the Burrow to the lonely nights in the mansion. He then moved on to her time at school.He first raked through her memories with George. Every single conversation. Every moment at the Black Lake. The invasion of privacy made her grow hot. The Dark Lord was going through intimate moments. She tried to push him out, but he only ripped through her mind once more.

Then Draco appeared in her mind. He constantly replayed their fights, the moments of his withdrawal appeared in her mind over and over. She had to see his weak body on the bathroom floor several times. Tears formed in her eyes.

Voldemort pulled away and Katie was conscious. He tightly gripped her jaw to look at her. She was met with his pale face and red eyes. Almost like a human snake.

“If you ever betray my orders I will kill everyone you care about. The whole Weasley family and Draco Malfoy will die a slow, painful death as you watch them. Need more explanation?” Katie whimpered.

“Nagini’s venom will be injected in their hearts. Dark magic will course through their veins and stop the body’s system. Their organs will decay first. Soon it will burn to the surface of the skin. It’ll deteriorate and eat away their flesh.” He let go of his death grip and walked away, “It’s a shame you don’t care for your parents. After all, they are what made you the powerful witch you are.” He laughed to himself and apparated away with a crack.

She laid back down on the floor. The carpet scratched her and her vision became blurry. Tears fell from her eyes to her hair. Cold sweats formed in her palms and the back of her neck. She heard the door open and footsteps approach her. Her vision blacked out.


	11. Chapter 11

Draco was nervous as he heard the knock echo throughout the mansion. Mr. Ostara sat beside him as they heard Katie. His heart clenched. The doors opened and he nervously stood up, he fixed the collar of his blazer.

He walked over and met Katie’s glare.“Why is he here?” Draco grew nervous as her dad went up to her.

They walked towards the hallway of the drawing-room and he was immersed in his thoughts. Why would they not tell her anything? She’s been led straight to a trap. Guilt rose through his chest, along with anger. He wanted to tell her to run. To get away before it was too late. But he couldn’t risk both her life along with her parents’.

He stayed silent as they stopped at the door. Draco couldn’t bear to look at her as she went inside. He felt disgusted to be a part of this. Mrs. Ostara shut the door and everyone waited outside.

There was a loud snap coming from the room. Seconds later her screams pierced through the air. Draco flinched. He couldn’t figure out what she was saying at first. But then as her screams became louder her words became clearer.

_“Dad! Please let me out!” ___

__

___“Please, I’m your fucking daughter!” ____ _

___ _

___His heart broke as she cried out. Draco looked over at her parents. Their faces were blank. No tears formed as they watched the door._ _ _

___ _

___They fed her sugar, only for it to be salt._ _ _

___ _

___Her screams transformed into whimpers._ _ _

___ _

___Another loud crack shook the room. Draco quickly opened the door to see her laying on the floor in front of him. He kneeled in front of her and held her face._ _ _

___ _

___Her cheeks were dry from tears and cold sweat formed on her forehead. He picked her up and headed towards her room. Her body fell limp against his arms as he walked up the stairs._ _ _

___ _

___The east wing of the Ostara mansion was something he knew by heart. Considering Katie was an only child, she had a part of the mansion to herself. But she only went to her room and piano room._ _ _

___ _

___They would play hide and seek when they were kids and run around each room. Other times Katie would play the piano while he read a book from one of the bookshelves. As they got older she learned to play the piano through a charm. They practiced how to waltz in the piano room before fourth year started._ _ _

___ _

___All the memories of the good old days seemed like a different world. The east wing was cold and dim now. His footsteps echoed in the hallway and the doors were closed. There were no more toys laying on the ground, and laughter was replaced with an eerie silence. The piano remained stagnant._ _ _

___ _

___Draco opened the door to her room and laid her on the bed. He took off her shoes and tugged the comforter out to lay it over her. He conjured a glass of juice and a potion of Calming Draught on the desk beside her table. He pulled out a chair and sat there, waiting for her to wake up._ _ _

___ _

___Draco looked down at her. The pain was still evident even though she was unconscious. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were slightly frowning. He can’t help but feel guilty for her ending up in this position._ _ _

___ _

___He had ignored her near the end of their relationship. He pushed her away only to get mad at her for not understanding. Draco knew about the Dark Lord’s plan to initiate Katie._ _ _

___ _

___It was discussed in late September at his manor. He wished he would have warned her. But he was narcissistic at the time. He couldn’t stand to see her happy with someone else. He thought that if they had one thing to relate to, it would make them closer again._ _ _

___ _

___Selfish. Brutish. Ignorant._ _ _

___ _

___Draco was filled with regret and anger. If he was able to tell her sooner, things would’ve been different. He could’ve told her to run away; to hide. But it was too late now. There’s nothing he can do._ _ _

___ _

___He assured himself that Katie would be fine. She was a strong woman. He loved how dependable and motivated she was. Knowing Katie, she will turn the pain to build herself up._ _ _

___ _

___Katie shifted under the covers and her eyes fluttered open. Draco sat up in the chair and looked at her. After a few moments, she looked over at him. There was a hint of shock behind the pained and swollen eyes._ _ _

___ _

___Silence ringed through their ears as they looked at each other. Draco hesitated to speak._ _ _

___ _

___“Uh, you kind of… fainted down there... I got some juice and a calming drought so…” his voice faltered as Katie’s look became sharper. She looked at him, the juice, his left arm, then back to him._ _ _

___ _

___“Get out.” Her voice was quiet but it pierced through the air like a sword. Draco stood up._ _ _

___ _

___“I don’t need your fucking help get the fuck out of my room.” She turned over in the bed and her back faced him._ _ _

___ _

___“I know you’re hurting, if you’d just let me help you it’d be easier for the both of us.”_ _ _

___ _

___“That sounds oddly familiar, doesn’t it?” Her voice trembled slightly._ _ _

___ _

___Silence._ _ _

___ _

___His jaw clenched and he promptly headed towards the door. He stopped at the door frame and turned his head back to her._ _ _

___ _

___“If you need anything I’ll be next door.” He didn’t wait for an answer. He closed the door and Katie could hear his footsteps falter._ _ _

___ _

___Tears fell down her cheeks and onto the pillow. They were silent but she drowned in them. Her arm still burned and everything felt weak. She laid there, broken in pieces and her mind racing._ _ _

___ _

___She felt betrayed. No warning, no plans. They just stuck her into a room with the devil. They didn’t even seem to care for her. Katie felt naive for believing that they changed. That maybe they invited her over for Christmas to become closer._ _ _

___ _

___And Malfoy. Had he known the whole time? Or was he just tagged along like she was? He brought her up to her room, so maybe he didn’t know. Or maybe it was just guilt. Her parents didn’t even do anything to help._ _ _

___ _

___She should’ve run away when she entered the mansion- no. When she didn’t see her parents at King’s Cross. That was her chance to run away. To spend her winter break with the Weasleys. Things would’ve been so much better._ _ _

___ _

___But now she’s trapped. It’s not like she can just run away anymore. That would put the Weasleys and Malfoy at risk. Why would he include Malfoy? She could care less about him at this second._ _ _

___ _

___Katie grew tired the more she thought to herself. She spent the whole afternoon sleeping, realizing what happened, crying, then going back to sleep.By sunset, Didi slightly knocked in the room and entered. Katie was curled up under the covers and she shifted her head to look at her._ _ _

___“Thanks Didi, but I don’t feel like eating right now,” she mumbled. Didi grew nervous and played with her fingers._ _ _

___ _

___“But master requires you to be there… she-she told me I must stay up here until you come down.” Her voice trembled._ _ _

___ _

___Katie sighed and sat up. She rolled out of bed and threw on a hoodie. Didi came up to her again._ _ _

___ _

___“Miss Ostara, there is a guest in the house. Master has a dress code for supper.”_ _ _

___ _

___“I either go as is or I give you a sock, which do you prefer?” Didi cried out in agony. Katie felt bad for taking her anger out on Didi. She was only doing her job; most of the time Didi was the only one she could talk to. The other house elves were disgusted by her._ _ _

___ _

___“Look, Didi, I’m sorry. I’ve just had a terrible day so far and I feel like shit. Just pick out a dress for me, ok?” She talked softly to the sobbing elf. Didi nodded and wiped her tears and headed to the closet._ _ _

___ _

___She came back holding a long black dress. It was a basic, sleeveless, silk taffeta dress with a high neckline. Katie stared at it while Didi held it up._ _ _

___ _

___“But isn’t it cold?” She tried finding an excuse to not wear the dress._ _ _

___ _

___There was no getting a way around it. Katie sighed and took the dress. She changed in the closet and headed towards the dining room with Didi._ _ _

___ _

___She tried her best to not look at the mark on her forearm as she walked.As she walked through the hallway, everything felt eerily still. The sun managed to shine through into the hallway, giving the walls and vases a bright orange hue. But it felt so quiet in there.She approached the tall doors of the dining room and Didi apparated away, presumably to the kitchen. The clinking of plates and utensils being set up and chairs being moved were heard through the door. She could hear her mother and father talking to each other in a monotone voice.Katie hesitated to enter the room. She turned around and walked to the foyer. There was a table in the middle with a large vase of poinsettias and mail on the side._ _ _

___ _

___The Daily Prophet was on the top with a heading about the Dark Lord returning. In the side columns, there were advertisements for dark magic protection: keychains, necklaces, and fake detector goggles._ _ _

___ _

___She flipped the page and there was a picture of her mother and father standing in front of a dragon, smiling. The headline read, _“Elias Ostara and Mila Ostara donates 5,000 Galleons to the Dragon Defense Fund!” _____ _

___ _

___His eyes shifted from her eyes, to her dress, and her forearm. She grew insecure and hid her arms behind her back._ _ _

___ _

___“You look good,” he muttered._ _ _

___ _

___She hesitated for a moment before entering the dining room. They walked in and sat across from each other._ _ _

___ _

___Her mom and dad were glancing at her but Katie ignored them. The burning sensation on her left arm was a constant reminder of what they’d done to her._ _ _

___ _

___Food was served and the only sounds that echoed through the room were the sounds of forks and knives on the plates. Katie couldn’t eat. She stared at her food and her stomach clenched._ _ _

___ _

___Her food was left untouched as she sat there, staring at anything but the three people on the table. Mila cleared her throat and began to speak._ _ _

___ _

___“You’re here to stay for a week. Severus will be here to talk to you and Draco about school. Your first meeting will be at the end of this week.” Her tone was quick and clear. Katie clenched her jaw as she spoke._ _ _

___ _

___“Draco will stay with us until the end of next week. His mother suggested he stay here while the other members stayed at the Malfoy Manor.”_ _ _

___ _

___Katie looked up at Draco. His knuckles were white while he gripped the fork and knife. His chin and jaw were more prominent. The circles around his eyes were darker and his frown lines became more prominent._ _ _

___ _

___She looked back down at her food. Just the thought of eating made her want to vomit._ _ _

___ _

___“We’re both very proud of you, Katie.” Her father chimed in. She felt disgusted. “We’ve been planning for this moment for the longest time now. We’re all excited about what the future holds for our family.” A frown crept upon her face and her eyebrows furrowed. This wasn’t a family._ _ _

___ _

___Her throat closed in and it felt harder for her to breathe. Tears were forming but she immediately blinked them away. These were the last three people she’d want to cry in front of. Her legs and hands began to shake and she abruptly stood up._ _ _

___ _

___The sound of the chair dragging against the hardwood echoed throughout the room. Draco pretended to ignore the girl breaking down in front of him. Her parents were stunned, staring at Katie._ _ _

___ _

___She swiftly walked away. He watched her leave, the skirt of the dress flowing behind her. The door shut and Misses and Mister Ostara continued eating._ _ _

___ _

___“It’s ok, she’ll get over it,” he heard her mutter to her husband._ _ _

___ _

___Katie was sprinting up the stairs. She gasped for air and tears were running down her cheeks. She struggled to stay up and barged into her bedroom door. Katie lunged over across the room, pushing herself off of chairs and the bedposts to head to the porch door._ _ _

___ _

___She opened the door and a brisk breeze hit her face and hair, drying up her tears. As she leaned on the porch fence, she tried to control her breathing._ _ _

___ _

___In through the nose for eight seconds._ _ _

___ _

___Hold for four seconds._ _ _

___ _

___Out through the mouth for eight seconds._ _ _

___ _

___She continued the routine until she could successfully go through with it. Tears still flowed down her cheeks, but at least her mind was at bay._ _ _

___ _

___She was full of pain and regret. Her whole life was ruined in a matter of hours, and her parents saw it as a way to celebrate. Katie tried to think of anything else other than the burning mark on her hand._ _ _

___ _

___She and George were sitting next to each other at the table. He held her hand as they ate, talking to Ginny about playing quidditch the next morning._ _ _

___ _

___The fire was going in the fireplace and everything felt normal. Felt like home._ _ _

___ _

___Katie’s imagination was interrupted when she heard the door close. She opened her eyes and looked over to see Malfoy near his door, staring at her with an emotionless expression. She forgot that the porch connected both their rooms.He stood next to her, leaning his back against the porch. They both stared straight ahead and reveled in the silence._ _ _

___ _

___By now, Katie came to the conclusion that he was also a death eater. Presumably during the summer, which was why things had shifted then. She skipped a few questions in her head before ultimately asking him:_ _ _

___ _

___“Did you know about this?”_ _ _

___He stayed silent for a few moments, staring down at the brick wall._ _ _

___ _

___“Yes.”_ _ _

___ _

___She bitterly laughed and shook her head. Tears were threatening to push out and she shifted in her feet._ _ _

___ _

___“Get away from me.”He stood back up and quietly walked away. She heard the door shut and sobs were immediately released._ _ _

___ _

___Her body racked against the cement wall and fresh tears were rushing down her face and neck. She felt so alone; so betrayed. The train station suddenly felt like it was years ago._ _ _

___ _

___Draco laid in his bed, listening to her cries for the whole night. She shouted out to her parents, him, the universe, and herself._ _ _

___ _

___He silently blamed himself for growing up too fast. For losing hope too fast and for giving up so quickly. So much could’ve been prevented if he would just grow some courage._ _ _

___ _

___Katie cried until her energy was depleted. She trudged back into her room and shed off her dress, leaving it on the floor. As she laid down in her bed and pulled the covers over her, she imagined that today was just a dream._ _ _

___ _

___That she would wake up in George’s bed and go down to the kitchen, telling everyone about the crazy dream she had last night._ _ _


	12. Chapter 12

When Katie was younger, her Aunt Evy used to come over every weekend. She brought sweets and pastries from Honeydukes, fairy tale books, and treasures from the Junk Shop in Diagon Alley.

Aunt Evy did everything a mother would do. She made Katie pancakes every Sunday morning while Mila went out to charity events and brunch with fellow Ministry workers. She always fixed Katie’s hair the way she asked for. She would sit in front of her vanity while Evy weaved her loose curls into two braided pigtails.

For her fifth birthday, she gifted Katie a grand piano. Every Wednesday afternoon she would come over and teach her how to play the piano.

She first started with popular magical nursery rhymes. Soon enough Katie started learning from popular composers: Chopin, Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven.

After every lesson, Evy and her would make toffees as a reward.

They made a tradition during Christmas day to find the stuffed pygmy puff in the Christmas tree before she could open her presents. Aunt Evy would hide it early in the morning before she woke up.

She would carry Katie for her to find the pygmy puff at the top of the tree. When she was small enough, Katie would crawl underneath the tree while Evy laughed at the sight of her determination.

Some weekends Aunt Evy would inform her parents that Katie will sleepover at her place. Elias and Mila would be relieved, giving them a break that they supposedly needed.

Instead, Evy would drop her off at the Burrow.

Aunt Evy had two husbands before Katie was born. She tried giving children to both of them but always failed. She either had a miscarriage or the infant would die a few minutes after being born. After her third baby’s death, she started calling them “infant” whenever they were born. She couldn’t deal with the heartbreak whenever the baby died, especially if there was a name connected to him or her.

After divorcing her second husband, Evy gave up on her hopes of having her own family despite her love for children.

Katie was like the daughter she never had. Evy treated her like her own daughter and Katie liked to pretend that she was her mom. If she could, Katie would trade Evy for her mom in a heartbeat.

When Katie was nine, she realized her parents had a gambling problem. They would go to underground gambling houses, meeting up with other witches and wizards.

They would take Katie along with them when they went to the city. Evy tried her best to mask the problem by taking her to muggle parks to expose her to new people. She was given 100 galleons for the both of them for food and any activities they wanted to do.

Evy had Gringotts convert the galleons to euros. They would go to parks, museums, tourist attractions, or go shopping. The nine-year-old loved spending the day with her aunt, but it still didn’t distract her from the fact that her parents could be putting their savings at risk.

But those thoughts were pushed away whenever her parents won. On those nights, Katie ate well. Her parents were nice to her and they always bought her a new toy the next day.

Other days, Katie would see her mother and father walk out of the building with a defeated look. Her stomach would drop and she stayed silent in their presence. Dinner would be lonely with her sitting alone in the dining room.

When she was ten her mother woke her up in an excited manner.

“Get ready quickly, Katie. We’re going to the city.” Her words were breathy and she was jumpy. She quickly exits the room.

Katie promptly got up and threw on her clothes, topping it off with a winter coat. She went downstairs and her mom was rushing her to come downstairs. She grabbed Katie’s hand and they apparated in front of the building.

Her mother handed her one galleon, “Wait here. If you get hungry, buy some food down the street.” She left Katie alone on the curb of the sidewalk, sitting a few feet away from the guard.

It was ten o’clock when she arrived. The sun was slowly rising and warming her up in the cold winter air. By twelve she bought bread and juice with the little money she had. In the afternoon, she was still waiting outside.

She was sitting next to the guard, leaning on the wall of the building. He was giving her updates on her parents.

At first, they were on a roll. Dealing with high money. Katie got excited. Later on, he told her that they were slowly losing money. By eight she was informed that her parents started owing money to the house.

It was getting dark, and Katie grew colder. She was shivering and her ears were frozen. The kind guard came back with a blanket, but it still didn’t help. She was cold, starving, and her parents were losing money.

Katie must’ve fallen asleep because she woke up to something warm pressing up against her cheek. Her eyes opened and the guard was crouching in front of her with a cup of hot chocolate and a bag of takeout.

She took the food and thanked him. The hot chocolate warmed up her hands and she scarfed down the food.

Katie asked the guard if they won anything. He shook his head. They’re losing more money. She grew afraid that her parents would lose all their money.

By midnight the door opened. Her father was walking with her arms around her mother. Her head was leaning against his shoulder and she donned a despaired look. Katie abruptly stood up and followed them after thanking the guard.

They apparated to the front gates of the mansion. No words were exchanged between them as they walked down the gravel driveway.

But Katie grew angry. She wanted to know why they kept going even though they were losing money.

“Why didn’t you stop when you were winning?” She bitterly asked.

Her mother halted and glared at Katie. She grasped her wrist and pulled her in. Katie was met with her mom at eye level and her grip tightened.

“Don’t accuse me of stupid situations, little girl. Everything I do is for you! I’m trying to do this for you, so stop being an ungrateful brat!” She snapped.

Katie whimpered and pulled her wrist from her hand. She ran away and headed to her room.

The next few months were hard. And every time her mom thought that Katie complained, she would always blame her.

Her dad tried to get more money in different ways. He started betting high money on dragon races. After winning 50 galleons the first time he bet on a race, he was hooked. Yet he was extremely unlucky. All it did was make a bigger dent in their debt.

All the money they earned was put into fixing their debt. Their food supply grew less and less as the weeks passed by.

Her parents wouldn’t accept any food or money Evy offered to them. Their pride would be broken if they had to accept donations.

Aunt Evy tried her best to make the best of the situation. She would tell Katie that she’s a witch traveling to defeat the darkest wizard of her time. She has to ration her food until she could get her hands on more food.

For the first few weeks, the game worked. Katie would eat in rations, staying hungry until the next ration was available for her. After every week, Evy would cut up strawberries and serve them to Katie with whipped cream.

She congratulated Katie when she entered the dining room, “ Congratulations Katie! You defeated the darkest wizard in the world!” She kissed her forehead while Katie dipped the strawberries in whipped cream.

But Katie soon caught on. The girl was too smart for mind games. She asked Evy what her accomplishment would be for eating rations. A powerful witch gets the glory of being a hero while Katie only gets to starve for another week.

Evy looked at her with a defeated look before pulling her into a hug.

“That was the catch.”

Before anyone could comment on how thin and meek the Ostara heir was getting, her parents found a solution to their debt. They went to Dolohov for help. He had ties with the Ministry that would help them cancel out their debt.

They made a deal that all the money they owed would be restored if they let Katie become a death eater when the Dark Lord returned.

Dolohov explained that it was obvious Katie would be a powerful witch. There was a prophecy where every first heir of the Ostaras naturally had stronger magical abilities than an average witch or wizard.

He said that before Voldemort’s disappearance, he explained to him that it would be a luxury to have another firstborn Ostarato serve him. Elias was very powerful and competed with Lucius for the ‘number two’ spot.

Elias hesitated to agree to the plan, but Mila persuaded him to say yes. They accepted the deal.

Everything soon went back to normal. Katie didn’t need to imagine herself as a traveling witch and money started flowing again.

She got new toys and dresses, and her parents started throwing parties again.

Without her knowledge, Katie was assigned a Death Eater at ten years old.

When Katie was eleven, her parents found out about Evy taking her to the Burrow. Katie sat on the stairway and listened to their argument.

Her parents were yelling at her, saying it’s an embarrassment for her daughter to be associated with such filth. Evy argued that Katie should be friends with anybody, no matter their blood status or reputation.

They forbid Evy from ever seeing Katie. She was forced to move out of Britain for safe measures, filing a restriction order against her.

Katie ran down the stairs crying and latching her onto Evy. She tried to stay strong in front of the weeping girl as she hugged her back, but Katie knew that she was heartbroken too.

Her dad was trying to pry Katie off of her but she didn’t give up. Evy looked into her eyes and held her face with her gentle hands.

She told her that she loved her and that they will meet again soon. Katie sobbed in her hands and Evy kissed her forehead. Tears slowly went down Evy’s face as she walked away. Her heart shattered as she heard the girl pleading for her to stay.

Katie didn’t look at her parents the same way after that. They took away the only person in the house who truly cared for her.

They attempted to input blood prejudice ideas in Katie’s head multiple times, but all of them failed. Aunt Evy taught her at a young age to treat everyone fairly no matter what blood courses through their veins.

Evy was replaced with Didi, who was assigned to take care of Katie. She wasn’t as good as Evy, but she was better than having nobody.

Every Christmas Katie would see an owl on her porch with a stuffed pygmy puff ornament tied to its leg. Her heart warmed at the thought that Evy still remembered her, even as the years passed by.

Katie kept on playing the piano. It was essentially the only thing that would keep her connected to Aunt Evy. Finding the pygmy puff in the Christmas tree wasn’t even half as exciting when you’re the one both hiding and finding it.

Playing the piano made her feel like she was in a different world. She loved how she could express her emotions through the keys. It gave her an outlet for her emotions and a pass time during her time at the mansion.

But now and then Aunt Evy would cross her mind. She would wonder what she would tell Katie now. And whether or not she’s living a good life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parts of this Chapter (Aunt Evy's game and her backstory) were inspired by _A Tree Grows in Brooklyn _by Betty Smith.__


	13. Chapter 13

It’s been three days since she arrived at the Ostara Mansion. The pain from the mark was slowly fading, but it stung in random bursts. Katie laid in bed all day.

Her parents must’ve given up calling her down to eat considering Didi would appear with a tray of food during breakfast. But the food was left untouched with a few sips of orange juice and a bite of toast.

Katie felt both physically and mentally numb. Her body was weak and she struggled to sit up from her bed. There were no tears leftover for Kaite to cry out. It felt worse than crying.

When she was crying, she could at least feel something. Now, she didn’t know what she was feeling. She felt vulnerable; empty.

Katie could hear Malfoy’s footsteps next door. He had a thing for pacing. In the afternoon, she heard him play a few songs on the piano. She wanted to get out of bed and tell him to stop playing.

She was quite territorial when it came to anyone playing her piano. It felt as though they were taking someone’s possession without asking.

But she couldn’t bring herself to look at him considering the mental state she’s in. She would probably blackout and charge at him. Katie let time pass and soon enough Malfoy had no more songs to play.

Didi came over and replaced her breakfast tray with supper. She didn’t eat it. It sat on the desk next to her bed, sitting next to the Calming Draught Malfoy had placed after she passed out.

The sun was setting and the golden rays shone through her curtains and onto the walls. The glare blinded Katie and she pulled the covers over her head. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Katie woke up in her dark bedroom. She fell asleep the whole afternoon; it had to be around ten or eleven when she got up. Light knocks were coming from her porch door and she grabbed her wand.

She looked over to see a tall silhouette standing on her porch. His identity was masked from the dark. Fear crept upon Katie as she stared at the man. He pulled out his wand from his pocket and Katie pointed her wand at him.

The light emitted from his wand and Katie’s shoulders slacked. George’s face shone in his wand’s light and he was smiling at her. He held up his quidditch broom and Katie nodded.

She sprinted to her closet and threw on jeans and a sweatshirt before putting on her sneakers. She rummaged through her clothes before finding one of her spare brooms. Katie picked up her bag full of gifts and headed to the door. George was looking at the view of her porch when she opened the door.

He turned around and engulfed her in a hug which she tightly returned.

“Don’t wake me up like that, I thought someone was going to break in.” She muttered against his chest.

His chest vibrated as he laughed, “What’s the fun in that? And it’s not like I can just knock on the door and your parents will welcome me in.” Katie rolled her eyes as they mounted their brooms.

They swooped up right below the clouds and the wind was blowing back her hair. She looked over at George, who was smiling back at her. They raced each other, laughing as they leaned forward on their brooms.

They flew away from the mansion for a few miles before they stopped again. Below them was a blanket of pine trees covered with snow. A few clouds passed through them and Katie took in the scene.

George was rummaging in his sack and her feet were dangling from the broom. The sky was a deep blue scattered with twinkling stars and foggy clouds. The wind howled and the moon shone brightly against George’s face.

He pulled out a handful of fireworks and passed them to Katie before pulling more out. She looked at the packaging of one of them and smiled.

The package read, “Weasleys’ Wildfire Whiz-bangs.”

“I’m gone for half a week and you guys managed to create fireworks?” Katie teased. He glided next to her and kissed her cheek.

“It was Fred’s idea. I’m the one that made it happen though,” he pompously said. She laughed and pulled out her wand to light one up.

One by one, fireworks exploded into the air. After a while, George collected all of them and set a charm to automatically fire them.

They looked at the colorful sky and George reached out to hold Katie’s hand. She looked into his eyes and saw a reflection of the fireworks.

“Happy Christmas Eve, Katie,” he said, squeezing her hand.

“Happy Christmas Eve, George,” she replied. As she looked at him, it felt like the past three days were a dream. He gave her a sense of normalcy; he was someone consistent.

She leaned into his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head. They watched the last of the fireworks blow out.

“We all really want you to stay the night if you could.”

“Of course. I feel trapped in my room. And I miss all of you guys.” She smiled up at him, “Race you to the Burrow.”

He shouted at her but it only came out as mumbled. Katie was speeding in the air, the wind blowing loudly against her ear.

The Burrow was appearing closer and Katie slowed down. George flew up next to her as they gazed at their home.

“It’s beautiful.” She sighed. George admired her and they headed to the front door. “Also, I won.” He laughed.

“Only because I let you. And you have a better broom.”

“It’s not about the broom, it’s about the flyer.” She remarked.

“Yeah, ok sure.” He dismissed her and Molly opened the door.

She looked between the two before a warm smile went to her face.

“It’s so nice to see you again, Katie!” She engulfed Katie in a motherly hug. Katie smiled to herself and hugged her back tighter.

Molly pulled back and looked her up and down. “You’ve gotten taller since the last time I saw you. And beautiful like always.” Katie smiled at her.

“Thank you, Molly.”

“I’m glad my future daughter-in-law can spend Christmas Eve with us,” she said casually, “Come on, everyone’s in the family room.” Katie’s eyebrows went up in surprise. She looked back at George who was smiling cheekily at her. She bit her lip to suppress her smile.

There was laughter coming from the room and Katie’s stomach fluttered with excitement. George’s hand laid on her lower back as Molly led her around the house. She passed by the Weasley clock.

She laughed to herself as her own clock hand went from ‘prison’ to ‘home’. 

Back when she was in her first year, she began staying with the Weasleys for the whole winter and summer break. To relieve Molly’s stress of wondering where she was all the time, she got her place in the clock.

Molly opened the door and Katie walked in. Everyone exclaimed and the room shook as all the Weasley siblings were running over to hug her.

She was smothered in hugs. Ginny crushed her waist as Ron locked his arm around her neck. Fred cheered and whooped while pulling all of them in a hug. Katie looked across the room and saw Bill passed out on the couch.

They all pushed her further into the room to the couches. Harry and Hermione were smiling at her and they waved at each other.

Everyone was catching up with Katie. They asked her a million questions despite her being gone for only a few days.

“How important is this relative?” Ginny asked.

Katie shrugged and tried her best to lie. “I don’t know. But they want me to stay there for a week before going back to Hogwarts.” They all gave an understanding mutter.

Ron spoke up, “Well, at least you’re able to spend the first few hours of Christmas day.”

Everyone kept on talking to each other. The topic of Fred and George’s shop was constantly mentioned. They bought a store in Diagon Alley and they started to stock up their products. Business would be good considering kids will get their Christmas money and spend it there.

Katie laughed along with everyone and she enjoyed the moment. George’s chest shook against her head as he laughed and his arm was casually hung around her shoulders. Molly’s homemade food filled her stomach and Fred convinced Molly to let all of them have Firewhiskey as an early Christmas present.

They took turns taking shots; the back of their throats burned as they swallowed the drink. It was everyone’s first time seeing Hermione drunk, and it felt like a different person was controlling her.

She constantly laughed about everything and interrupted people’s sentences. Nobody was pissed off with her. They were too busy laughing at her retorts and forgot their train of thought.

The clock struck twelve and everyone exclaimed “Merry Christmas” to each other. Gifts were being exchanged and Katie pulled out presents from her bag.

She gave Ginny a poster of the Weird Sisters and quidditch broom cleaning set, Bill a dragonhide belt, Fred a planner along with a nice quill set, and Ron a carnelian crystal.

“You can keep that in your pocket. It’s said to promote courage.” Katie explained. Ron smiled and hugged her.

She went up to George and handed him his gift. She nervously played with her fingers as he opened the wrapping paper.

From the box, he pulled out a dark navy blue suit. Along with it came a black tie and trench coat. George gave an awed look at the suit and hugged Katie.

“Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it, Katie!” He put both of his hands on either side of her face, “You shouldn’t have done this.”

She shook her head and put her hands over his. “You need a suit for when you start working at your shop. I just hope it fits well.”

“It’s nothing a little tailoring can fix.”

Fred went up to the suit and looked over at Katie. “Where’s mine?” He joked, “That’s not fair, you’re playing favorites. You need to love me and George equally.” He playfully lectured her.

Katie laughed, “I’m sorry Freddie but George is my favorite. I hope you can understand.” Fred put a hand over his chest and gave a pained look.

She waved him off and headed to Molly and Arthur. Katie handed Arthur a disposable film camera which made him jump off the chair he was sitting on. He asked Katie what the purpose of it was and she tried to answer them to the best of her abilities, considering she has some experience in the muggle world.

“It’s exactly like the cameras we have here, but the pictures are stored in the camera. Muggles take them to a photo store and that’s where people print them. We can go there one day. I think you have twenty photos to take before it gets full.” She explained.

“Fascinating. I'll have to show this to my friends in the Ministry. Thank you, Katie.” She nodded and looked over to Molly.

She gave her a set of hair clips. It was goblin-wrought silver and had opal flowers. Molly gasped and held both of Katie’s hands.

“Katie, dear, I can’t accept this.”

Katie shook her head.

“I want you to have this, Molly. Other than my aunt, you are like my mom. You took care of me and even though my parents aren’t the best you didn’t treat me any less. These clips can’t even amount to how grateful I am to have you.”

Molly almost cried out of joy and hugged her. “Thank you for being so supportive of the twins when I wasn’t.” She hugged her tighter and Katie rubbed her back.

“You’re the best mom anyone could ask for, don’t think any less of yourself.” 

“I haven’t finished your sweater yet, dear. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, you can owl it to me when you’re done.” Molly nodded and she headed back to the couches.

She went over to Harry and Hermione. In their earlier years, they were skeptical of her but they loosened up. They concluded that she was another Weasley disguised in dark brown and wavy hair.

She gave Harry a wand holster considering he always finds himself battling someone. In return, he gave her a piano book.

Hermione was given a muggle book called Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. She told her that her aunt would read it to her every night. Hermione thanked her and pulled something from her purse.

It was an untied bracelet with purple strings.

“In the muggle world, there’s this thing called friendship bracelets. The only way to put it on is if you have a friend tie it to you,” she nervously explained, “I gave Ginny one already and I wanted to give you one too. You’re one of the only girl friends I’ve had and I’m glad that you are.”

“Thank you, Hermione. This is so cool. And I’m happy you trust me. I know I don’t come from the best family and made some- questionable- decisions in the past, but I’m glad you’re my friend too.” They laughed as they both looked back at their memories of each other.

They didn’t talk to each other every day like she did with Pansy, but they still had a strong bond.

“Which wrist do you want it on?”

“Right.”

She daintily held her wrist and tied the bracelet to her wrist.

People made their rounds of gifts and Katie was given a small sewing kit from Ginny and a messenger bag with an undetectable extensions charm from Ron, courtesy to Hermione.

Bill gave her an annotated textbook for curse breaking. It was more like a souvenir because the book was out of print. The pages were dog eared and sentences were highlighted with notes in the margins.

Charlie mailed everyone dragon burn balm from Romania and Fred gave her free reign to the store. Katie carefully placed the gifts in her bag and George approached her.

“Can you come out to the garden with me?” He held his hand out and Katie took it.

The snow covered the dingy flower beds and piled up against the broom closet. Her face was struck with the cold wind and her cheeks became rosy. She looked up at George who was already gazing down at her.

“I love you, Katie,” He breathed out.

Katie stood there for a short moment. She hesitated to speak up but decided to speak up. Because if not now, when? She didn’t know what the future held for her. 

“I love you too, George.” She said timidly. He smiled down at her and reached out to hold both her hands. Her small cold hands warmed up against his palms.

“I have nothing to offer you other than myself. Fred and I spent all of our money in the shop. There were these pairs of earrings I saw back in Diagon Alley and they would’ve been perfect for you. But I didn’t have enough to buy them, and I hate that I can’t because you deserve more-”

His rambling was cut off when she raised her hand to gingerly hold his jaw.

“George, it’s ok. You’re there for me and that’s enough. I don’t care about gifts. I truly don’t.” She pulled him down for a kiss. “You’re all I need.”

They held each other in the cold; his tall body kept her sheltered and hidden. He warmed her up and her head laid on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her ear. It made her feel safe. That what she was feeling was real. That it wasn’t a dream.

Muffled cheers and laughter became clearer when the door opened. Fred popped his head out the door.

“Come inside if you don’t want me to join! You’ll need one more person to keep you guys warm if you’re staying out here,” he joked.

Katie laughed and went inside, George following behind her. They entered the family room and she felt safe.

She was surrounded by the people she cared most about. Her heart ached for her aunt but it was short-lived. George came back into the room wearing the suit that Katie gave.

He was smiling and Fred slung his arm around him, looking him up and down. Katie was widely smiling at him from the couch and he went up to her.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“Love it. The blue suits you.” She fixed the collar of his coat and straightened his tie before kissing his cheek.

Arthur came up to the two and held up the film camera. “Let’s try out the new gift, shall we?”

George pulled her into his arms as they smiled at the camera. Hermione was guiding Arthur on which buttons to press. The camera gave a white flash around the room. Arthur looked at the camera in awe and thanked the three.

Katie sat back down on the couch and smiled to herself. This was her home. Everything felt right; comforting. At that moment she forgot that she had sold herself to the devil. That her parents turned her over to a beast for power.

All that pain was pushed away and Katie had a moment to forget.

By two in the morning, everyone went to sleep. Blankets and pillows were put on the floor so everyone could sleep in the family room. George and Katie slept on the couch; he tucked her in with his blazer and set her head on his chest.

Another two hours of sleep went by and George shook her awake.

“Come on, you need to go back before your parents find out.” His voice was hoarse.

Katie nodded and grabbed the bag she already prepared the night before. Ron’s gift was already coming in handy. She quietly bid her goodbyes to everyone in the family room. Molly was in the kitchen and hugged her before she left.

They quietly flew across the forest on their brooms. The air was cold and quiet and the clouds covered the sky. The two flew in comfortable silence, taking in the scenery.

They were approaching the Ostara manor from behind. The black bricks contrasted with the pure white snow. They landed on the porch and looked at each other.

“I wish I could’ve spent Christmas with you guys.” 

“Me too. But you got to spend the first few hours with us, and that’s good enough for us.” He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head, “Come back during New Years’.”

Katie nodded and looked up at him. George dipped down and tenderly kissed her lips. The kiss was gentle and soft. It felt too special to break off. Katie made small and slow movements, tracing his jawline.

Their lips lingered as they pulled back. He stood back up and held her hands.

“I love you.” She said.

“And I love you.” He smiled at her.

Katie opened the door and looked back. She waved goodbye at him as he flew away. 

Her smile dropped when she turned around to see three figures standing in the middle of the room. Her bag, along with her broom, dropped and made a loud thud on the floor. The broom clattered.

Her dad stood to the right of the three, a disappointed and slightly guilty look on his face. Her mother stood in the middle with her arms crossed and a pointed look on her face. She donned the wrinkle between her eyebrows.

To the left was Malfoy. He was hard to read. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were focused on her broom.

“Well, Katie, I think you have something to tell us.” Her mother said casually.


End file.
